Jeff Okudah

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Jeff Okudah
refer to caption
Okudah with Ohio State in 2018
No. 23 – Detroit Lions
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1999-02-02) February 2, 1999 (age 22)
Parsippany, New Jersey
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school:South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie)
College:Ohio State
NFL Draft:2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
Career history
  • Detroit Lions (2020–present)
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • Unanimous All-American (2019)
  • First-team All-Big Ten (2019)
  • USA Today All-USA (2016)
Career NFL statistics as of 2021
Tackles:51
Pass deflections:3
Interceptions:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Jeffrey Chidera Okudah (born February 2, 1999) is an American football cornerback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, where he was named a unanimous All-American and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2019 before being selected by the Lions third overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

High school career[]

Okudah attended South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, Texas.[1][2] A five-star recruit, he committed to Ohio State University in January 2017.[3][4]

College career[]

As a true freshman at Ohio State in 2017, Okudah played in all 14 games and had 17 tackles.[5][6] As a sophomore in 2018, he played in 13 games, recording 32 tackles. As a junior in 2019, he recorded his first career interception against the Miami Redhawks.[7] As a junior in 2019, Okudah had 34 tackles, 9 passes defensed, and 3 interceptions. For his performance that season, he was unanimously named to the 2019 College Football All-America Team and was also named a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.[8] Okudah decided to forgo his senior year by declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft.[9]

Professional career[]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄8 in
(1.86 m) 		205 lb
(93 kg) 		32+5⁄8 in
(0.83 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.48 s 41 in
(1.04 m)		 11 ft 3 in
(3.43 m)		 11 reps
All values from NFL Combine[10]
Okudah playing against the Washington Football Team in 2020.

Okudah was considered to be the best cornerback prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft,[11][12] where he was selected third overall by the Detroit Lions.[13] He signed his four-year rookie contract with the team on July 13, 2020.[14] The contract is worth a fully guaranteed $33.528 million, including a $21.944 million signing bonus.[15] He suffered a hamstring injury during training camp and missed the opening season game. He returned in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers, where he allowed six completions for 96 yards.[16] The following week he recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.[17] Okudah was placed on injured reserve after he underwent surgery to resolve a core muscle injury on December 15, 2020.[18][19]

During the Lions 2021 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, Okudah ruptured his Achilles tendon and was placed on injured reserve.[20]

References[]

  1. ^ Davenport, Richard (October 4, 2015). "Texas defensive back impresses off the field, too". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  2. ^ "Say hello to the new No.1 recruit in DFW: South Grand Prairie's Jeffrey Okudah". Dallas News. February 3, 2016.
  3. ^ Olson, Max (January 7, 2017). "Five-star safety Jeffrey Okudah commits to Ohio State". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  4. ^ "Ohio State lands commitment from five-star athlete Jeffrey Okudah". SI.com. January 7, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  5. ^ Rabinowitz, Bill. "Ohio State football | Jeffrey Okudah has persevered through pain". The Columbus Dispatch.
  6. ^ May, Tim. "Ohio State-TCU | Buckeyes' Jeffrey Okudah has history with Horned Frogs QB". Buckeyextra.
  7. ^ Baird, Nathan (September 22, 2019). "Ohio State football's Jeff Okudah relishes first career interception against Miami of Ohio". Cleveland.com. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  8. ^ Hooley, Bruce. "Chase Young, Jeff Okudah Likely to go 2-3 in NFL Draft". SI.com. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  9. ^ Wells, Adam (January 1, 2020). "Ohio State CB Jeff Okudah Declares for 2020 NFL Draft After Loss to Clemson". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  10. ^ "Jeffrey Okudah Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  11. ^ Hanson, Kevin. "2020 NFL Draft Rankings: Cornerbacks". SI.com. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  12. ^ Kartje, Ryan (7 April 2020). "A top pick in NFL draft? Ohio State corner Jeff Okudah has it covered". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  13. ^ Birkett, Dave (April 23, 2020). "It's official! Detroit Lions take Jeff Okudah with No. 3 pick in 2020 NFL draft". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  14. ^ Patra, Kevin. "Lions agree with No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah on rookie contract". NFL.com. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Jeff Okudah's Contract Details Revealed".
  16. ^ "Jones' big day helps Packers beat Lions 42-21 in home opener". ESPN. Associated Press. September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals - September 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  18. ^ Alper, Josh (2020-12-15). "Jeff Okudah says core muscle surgery went well". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  19. ^ Schlitt, Erik (December 16, 2020). "Detroit Lions officially place Jeff Okudah on IR". USAToday.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  20. ^ Woodyard, Eric (13 September 2021). "Source: Lions' Okudah (Achilles) out for season". ESPN.com. Retrieved 13 September 2021.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/04/05/jeff-okudah-to-wear-no-23-jamaal-williams-gets-no-30/amp/

External links[]

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