It won’t be easy, and at times it might not be pretty. But this is why Jeff Okudah is here. This is why the Lions drafted him third overall. He was the elite cover corner they needed for their defense, and they need him now more than ever.
The Lions are headed to Green Bay, missing their top two corners and staring at an 0-2 start in the NFC North, and Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are waiting. Desmond Trufant won’t be there to cover Adams. Neither will Darius Slay. Part of the reason the Lions felt so comfortable trading Slay in the offseason was because they thought they could replace him with Okudah.
So far, the gamble has backfired. Okudah struggled in training camp and then missed the season-opener with a hamstring injury. He wasn’t expected to play much, anyway. But he’s ready to go for Sunday, and he just might draw the duty of covering one of the best receivers in the NFL. This is why he’s here. This is why the Lions drafted him third overall.
“I’m really excited for Sunday’s matchup,” Okudah said Thursday. “I think as a cornerback, I would hope that you welcome any challenge, no matter how big it is, no matter how small. You approach it the same.”
This one’s about as big as it gets. Rodgers just threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns in the season-opener; half of those touchdowns and nearly half of those yards went to Adams. Maybe the Lions will stick Amani Oruwariye on Adams. That would leave Okudah to cover Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Allen Lazard. The rookie will have his hands full either way.
But Okudah is supposed to be ahead of the curve. He’s supposed to be so polished, and so well trained in the kind of man coverage Matt Patricia likes to play, that he bounds over the hurdles that normally stagger rookie corners. His stumbles in training camp raised some questions.
Here’s Okudah’s chance to answer them.
“Jeff, we brought him here for a reason,” Oruwariye said. “He knows what he’s doing. He’s going to be prepared and he’s going to be ready to go.”
How prepared? Okudah said he plans to reach out to All-Pro corners like Stephon Gilmore and Aqib Talib – guys he’s met through offseason training – for tips on covering Adams. He also plans to talk it over with his defensive coordinator at Ohio State, Jeff Hafley. Then it’s onto the film: first down, second down, third down, red zone. Rewind, re-watch.
“I’m really diligent in the process,” Okudah said.
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As he reflected on training camp, Okudah called it an ‘acclimation process.’ Just as he was beginning to get comfortable, he tweaked his hamstring, costing him a week of live reps. He used the time off to study and self-evaluate and said he returned to the field a better player.
“I actually think that week was beneficial for me,” Okudah said. “Since I’ve been back I’ve been feeling pretty good. Everything’s been a lot slower and my confidence has just been going up every day.”
For all the emphasis on footwork and technique, confidence might be the most important part of playing corner. You’re out there by yourself. You’re up against a receiver and a rulebook that wants the receiver to win. You’re going to get beat; some days, you’re going to get beat a lot. You have to believe the next play is yours.
Okudah's next play is here.
A rocky training camp won’t define Okudah. Nor will his NFL debut. Whatever happens Sunday, the ceiling for this 21-year-old will remain incredibly high. But if Okudah gets the matchup he’s here for, and if he does what the Lions need him to do, the ceiling will rise for this team.
This is why the Lions drafted him third overall.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to worry him too much or say too much because that just gets the anxiety up and too much thinking. We’re just going to let him play,” said Oruwariye. “Help him out however he needs and then just (let him) go out there and do what he does best: compete, challenge receivers, make plays.
"That’s what he was brought here to do.”