The Detroit Lions have traded cornerback Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2023 fifth-round pick.
Trade: the Falcons are acquiring Lions CB Jeff Okudah, his agent Kevin Conner of @UniSportsMgmt confirmed.
Conner articulated that the GMs of the two teams involved – Detroit’s Brad Holmes and Atlanta’s Terry Fontenot – made it a seamless, collaborative process. The… pic.twitter.com/vjSqui79aE
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 11, 2023
Okudah was a former 3rd overall selection by the Lions in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was simply the best cornerback in the draft at the time. He played his college ball at Ohio State university.
Okudah has not lived up to the hype of a former top 3 draft selection. Injuries and inconsistencies across the board made him like like a potential bust. Okudah only played in 9 games his rookie season and only one game the following year. In his sophomore season, he suffered a torn achilles tendon and missed the entire 2021 season. Some fans and NFL experts alike thought this was the end of Okudah’s career.
However, in the 2022 NFL season, Okudah had the best season of his career, by far. He played in 15 games catching one interception which was returned for a touchdown and was averaging a 59.7% completion percentage when the ball was thrown his way. This was definitely a step in the right direction for his career and his confidence level.
It seems like why the Lions made this trade is that they are trying to capitalize on his value after his best season. A fifth round pick is not a steep price to pay, so the Falcons are taking on a low risk-high reward player in Okudah.
The Atlanta Falcons are +325 to win the NFC South according to Georgia sportsbooks.
Okudah will join a somewhat revamped Atlanta Falcons secondary with the addition of safety Jesse Bates III. The Falcons are a rebuilding team, so this trade makes sense from their roster construction. Atlanta did lose cornerback Isiah Oliver in free agency, so Okudah will simply take his place.
This move hopefully indicates that the Falcons will not address the secondary with their number 8 overall pick in the draft. They desperately need edge help, so drafting a top tier edge in this draft class should be the way to go.
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