First-Round Pick Jeff Okudah Can Be "Franchise Player" for Lions
The 2020 NFL Draft came to a close last night, and there was a common theme throughout for the Lions.
Detroit selected three Ohio State Buckeyes -- in the first, third and seventh rounds.
Those selections were shutdown corner Jeff Okudah (No. 3 overall), offensive guard Jonah Jackson (No. 75 overall) and defensive tackle Jashon Cornell (No. 235 overall).
All three were members of the Buckeyes last season, and helped lead the program to a College Football Playoff appearance.
While playing on the same side of the ball at Ohio State, Cornell got to know Okudah very well, and he knows what Okudah can bring to the Lions.
In a recent article from Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, Cornell spoke about Okudah, Jackson and the Ohio State mentality.
“Jeff Okudah is going to be, he is a franchise player,” Cornell said.
A franchise player is exactly what the Lions need on the defensive side of the ball in order to fill the void created by the trade of Pro Bowl corner Darius Slay.
"The things that Jeff can do in the defensive back, though, seeing him be able to come in as a freshman and being able to watch Jeff grow through time, you know, he's able to showcase his ability as one of the best defensive backs in the country,” Cornell said. “You know, he came to practice every day and showed out on Saturday.”
Lions fans can only hope that everything Cornell had to say about Okudah is going to come to fruition.
Cornell also spoke in-depth about what it means to be a Buckeye and how it shines through on the NFL level.
"One thing about being an Ohio State player is just our transition to the next level," Cornell said. "One thing we do at Ohio State is treat everything like it's an NFL team, and that's one thing that we'll take different from most teams and most players is that we've been through all the rough patches and stuff and we've known off-field, to grind and to compete at a high level and that's one thing we did every Saturday."
In due time, we will see if Okudah turns out to be a true “franchise player,” as Cornell has predicted.
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