Getty Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe pose in New York.
The Detroit Lions didn’t make a big trade in the 2020 NFL Draft, electing to stay put and draft cornerback Jeff Okudah with pick No. 3, and that was just fine by Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless.
After the pick came in, Bayless admitted he foresees big things for Okudah in Detroit, and wouldn’t be surprised if he is a perennial Pro Bowl player. As he said, it’s a pick the Lions actually managed to get right given all Okudah can do on the field.
Jeff Okudah: stud. Fast, strong, physical, smart, quietly supremely confident. Perennial Pro Bowler. Detroit got one right.
Additionally, Bayless said that he believes Okudah is better than Byron Jones, a player who was just a free agent that the Lions could have signed.
Jeff Okudah is what the Cowboys hoped Byron Jones would be and never quite was.
The hope for Detroit is Okudah is that good, and it will certainly be something to watch to see if he can live up to this lofty expectation. Obviously, Bayless is a fan.
Jeffrey Okudah Called Perfect Fit For Lions
A pair of Pro Football Focus analysts explained why Okudah is such a good fit for plenty of teams, especially the Lions, and why he ranks so highly given what he did in college.
“He is the number one cornerback in this draft class. He should be, realistically, the first cornerback drafted within the top three picks in a while,” they said. “It just hasn’t happened. It’s a rare thing to see, but for our money, the second most valuable position on the football field.”
When it came to the Lions, production is the thing that should catch their eye with Okudah most of all according to the PFF folks.
“Someone like the Lions should be more than willing to make Jeffrey Okudah their first round pick with just how dominant he’s been over the course of his college career. For his entire career in college he’s allowed 5.4 yards per target. From freshman year to junior year. That’s absurd. Rare to see a guy play at that high a level,” they said.”
Detroit might not be the only team to consider Okudah heavily, but their scheme could represent the best fit given man coverage.
“Three, four and five, Lions, Giants and Dolphins all would, should consider Okudah,” they said. “I think he is that good. We always speak to this too. With Okudah and Ohio State cornerbacks, they always play a ton of man coverage, having that experience, the Lions fit is too easy.”
The smart money remains on the Lions considering Okudah strongly when all is said and done given the need, his talent and the potential to build up a miserable defense.
Jeffrey Okudah Stats
Okudah could be the best player on the board when the Lions end up picking at No. 3. As also explained elsewhere, evaluators love his length and size. It could be a winning combination for a needy Detroit pass defense that has been exposed in a major way this season on the back end.
At Ohio State, Okudah has put up some excellent numbers in a short time. He’s collected 78 tackles, 3 interceptions, 16 passes defended and 2 fumble recoveries. Perhaps better than that for the Lions, he didn’t allow a completion over 50 yards this season.
That paints the portrait of a player who can be a potential lock down defender at the next level. Okudah has also been a popular selection in mock drafts for Detroit, and that was proven right when the team selected him.
Okudah’s selection is a dream realized for both him and his family, and the hope is he can be half as good as Bayless thinks.