3 Reasons Why Jeff Okudah Will Be Better than Darius Slay in 2020
Former Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah is presently slotted by many NFL Draft pundits to go to the Lions at No. 3 overall.
While it wouldn't be the sexiest pick, it would provide a long-term successor to Darius Slay as the team's No. 1 CB.
And he will already be better than Slay in 2020. Here are three reasons why:
1.) Age is on Okudah's side
Okudah will be 21 come Week 1 of the regular season. Meanwhile, Slay will be 29, and considered to be nearing the end of his prime years as an NFL cover man.
Okudah will feasibly be able to spend the best years of his career in the Motor City.
And maybe, just maybe, Detroit fans will be able to watch the Ohio State product blossom into an All-Pro defensive back right in front of their eyes.
2.) Okudah's cover skills are on par with Slay's already
Along with most importantly being younger than Slay, Okudah already possesses the necessary skill set to be an excellent cover corner as an NFL rookie.
Slay registered what was a down year for himself in 2019 -- when compared to his 2017 and 2018 campaigns.
During a career year for himself in '17, Slay recorded career-highs in both interceptions (eight) and passes defensed (26).
He followed that up with a productive campaign in '18 that saw him post 17 passes defensed and three picks in 15 games.
And then, last year, he saw his cover skills regress a bit while playing in 14 games.
He finished the season with 13 passes defensed and two INTs -- far from an unproductive campaign.
However, he might only have another year or two of being a high-end cover corner.
Meanwhile, Okudah has a whole entire career ahead of him, and his final year at Ohio State showcased that he's only starting to come into his own.
His final season as a Buckeye saw him post a career-high three picks and nine passes defensed.
It was his first season as a full-time starter for the Scarlet and Gray.
Thus, the sky's the limit for how good he will become as he progresses in his NFL career.
And I'm willing to make the argument that he will already be a better cover corner than Slay come the start of the 2020 campaign.
3.) Okudah's slightly bigger in stature
The extra inch matters, folks.
While not immensely bigger than Slay -- only projected to be an inch taller at 6-foot-1 -- it does put him on par with perennial Pro Bowl cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore, Patrick Peterson and Jalen Ramsey.
If he becomes anything like the three of them, the Lions are in good hands.
Okudah's 6-foot-plus, 205-pound frame feasibly could allow him to guard big wideouts more effectively than Slay and right from the get-go.
And it's far from a bad thing when you consider the fact that he'll match up with the Bears' Allen Robinson, the Packers' Davante Adams and the Vikings' Adam Thielen twice a season on an annual basis -- all of whom are 6-foot-1 or taller wide receivers.
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