There was a lot of Darius Slay in Jeff Okudah last season: a highly-drafted cornerback, wearing No. 30, getting torched as a rookie. Okudah hopes there's even more this season.
Slay made a significant jump from year one to year two, while ditching No. 30 for No. 23. He went from a liability in Detroit's secondary to a shutdown corner. Okudah has ditched No. 30 for No. 23. He wants to handle the big assignments for the Lions in year two and, as he said Thursday, "prove my worth to the city of Detroit."
Okudah struck up a friendship with Slay prior to the 2020 draft when he kept seeing his name linked to Detroit. Visions of a dynamic duo in the Lions' secondary were enticing. So were they fleeting. Slay was shipped to the Eagles, and Okudah was shredded through an injury-plagued season.
But the friendship endured. Okudah said he and Slay "talked a lot" last year as the third overall pick was trying to find his way in the NFL. And while they haven't talked quite as much this year, Okudah said he's "really familiar" with Slay's story.
"He told me himself, before I even had No. 30, that he was No. 30," Okudah said. "He said he had a bad game against Dez Bryant, came back the next year and had a good game against Dez Bryant with (No.) 23. So his story is something I'm really familiar with, something that I definitely looked at this offseason, really studied the progression that he made. I know that it's tangible."
Bryant had two touchdowns when the Cowboys came to Detroit in 2013, and Slay got Moss'd on the first. Next time they met, in the playoffs the following season, Slay held the first-team All-Pro to three catches for 48 yards. He went from five passes defended and four starts in year one to 17 passes defended and 16 starts in year two.
"I had to get out of No. 30," Okudah said with a laugh. "I had to get out of it."
The switch was for style more than anything else. 30 looks slow. It's a number befitting a hockey goalie, not a starting cornerback in the NFL. By contrast, 23 is sleek. 23 is Slay. The switch was also a way for Okudah to turn the page on last year, and start scripting his own version of a story he knows well.
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Okudah said the difference is "night and day" in how he feels now compared to the start of training camp last year. He had a full offseason to prepare his body and mind, plus OTA's and minicamp to build up speed. He's spent hours with new defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant breaking down film and he said he's "seen the improvements already."
"Honestly, I feel like me and coach Pleasant a match made in heaven," Okudah said. "My game is already based on technique, being a technician. That's something that he's brought to the table every single day. He's someone that's detail-oriented. He understands that I'm going to ask a lot of questions, so he never really gets frustrated. He answers my questions and that's been pretty big, having a coach that's willing to embrace the kind of player I am and put his full belief into me being the player he envisions me being."
When last season ended, Okudah didn't exactly hide his distaste for the former coaching staff. He referenced "hidden agendas" and explained the problems that arise when "players and coaches aren’t aligned." Things are much different under Dan Campbell and his staff of former NFL players, including defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Okudah had double core surgery last December after a groin injury ended his season early. He spent the winter in Detroit, rebuilding himself physically and mentally and studying Stoic philosophy. He read a book by the author Ryan Holiday called 'Stillness is the Key,' which led him to other Holiday books like 'The Obstacle is the Way' and 'Ego is the Enemy'. He said the Stoic mindset has helped him "gain a sense of stillness and tranquility."
"I think that's been pretty big for me, staying in the present moment," he said. "Those things have been really applicable to my game and I think they've helped me on the field so far."
Okudah has looked sharp through two practices of training camp. His legs have looked springy. He said he feels "physically and mentally rejuvenated," and you can see it in the way he's bolting around the field.
"You watch him and listen to him and how he attacks everything, you can feel it," Campbell said Thursday. "It’s early, it’s a long season, we’re going to have ups and downs, but he’s in a good place right now.”