Getty Jeff Okudah pushes a wideout out of bounds during a 2020 Lions game in Jacksonville.
Jeff Okudah didn’t have the best rookie season all the way around, and that’s something the young cornerback can admit easily when asked.
Okudah dealt with injury problems, personal struggles on the field and last but certainly not least, team struggles. As a whole, the Detroit Lions didn’t meet expectations and neither did Okudah in 2020.
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That was then and this is now for the young cornerback, however. Okudah is healthy again, the team has made plenty of changes and the time for growth is now. Speaking with the media after practice on Tuesday, August 24, Okudah admitted that
“Last year I was injured a lot. I think just being able to practice out here with my teammates, something I am not taking for granted. Just being able to see if in that perspective, I haven’t really dealt with injuries in my career, it made me miss the game a lot more,” Okudah told the media.
That passion has fueled Okudah to feel much better and have more confidence moving forward this year. As he said, Detroit itself is a big reason for the mental and physical turnaround.
“I feel good. I think I have a lot of confidence going into year two. Up to this point, I think I have take a lot of reps, I’ve been able to see a lot of different things. Being around the whole energy in Detroit has been really great for me. It’s been really uplifting. So I’m excited for year two, whatever it has to offer,” he said.
The Lions need a big season out of Okudah, so this is the type of good news that the team could use moving forward. The hope is the team can find this and Okudah can reach his potential.
Okudah’s Rookie Stats and Highlights
The rookie season wasn’t phenomenal statistically for Okudah, who only put up 47 tackles, 2 passes defended and 1 interception in 2020. The cornerback fought injury most of his rookie season and was never completely right, and also may have never felt comfortable with the coaching he was being given by Matt Patricia and company. As a result, Okudah struggled as a rookie and was often picked on by the opposition leading to some rough days on the field like he experienced early in the season in Green Bay. The stats didn’t show a player primed to make a huge impact, but it’s more than possible that Okudah can turn this around quickly this season and have a much better showing. If he could be around 80 tackles and have closer to 5 interceptions in 2021, that would have to be seen as some huge strides forward and a major positive.
Here’s a look at some of his work last season:
Okudah has some talent to rely on so the hope is that he can continue to show what made him a top pick and develop quicker this coming year.
Why Okudah Can Improve in 2021 for Lions
If there’s one thing that can be said, it’s Okudah has wasted no time getting back into lab trying to improve quickly from the frustration of last season. Entering the 2020 draft, Okudah was described as a football junkie by his Ohio State coaches Okudah isn’t likely to burn the tape from his rookie debut season on the field, but rather use it to improve and study it intently to find out what he can do better. It’s likely he will be even more frustrated by his debut this season than the angriest fans will be. So far, he’s been trying to improve.
Last offseason, Okudah was said to already be studying wideouts he will match wits with routinely such as Davante Adams. Naturally, Adams burned him this past season, but Okudah was learning on the job, so the reality was things would always get worse before they got better. In time, as Okudah gains more confidence and understands the league more, some modest strides could be expected to be made. Coaching could also help him accomplish this faster.
The hope is that Okudah improves for the Lions and manages to have a solid role for the 2021 season. If he does, the energy around Detroit may be to thank.
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