What ESPN Analysts Said about Lions Drafting Jeff Okudah
ESPN
Trey Wingo: “A cornerback goes off of the board. Here’s what is really interesting, the top three picks in this draft -- at one time or another -- played at Ohio State University. Taking a look at Jeff Okudah and everything he has, he’s the No. 1 cornerback in the ESPN class of 2017. His mother died six days after his first day on campus, as an early entrant on campus in January of 2017. He wears a bracelet for his mother Marie Okudah, in her memory, and wrote a really heartfelt letter to her after she passed away, saying all of the things that she had meant to him and helped him along the way."
Wingo added, “Okudah also was an academic star at Ohio State, carrying a GPA of 3.0.
There you see a very happy Matt Patricia, the head coach. And, by the way, the sixth time in seven years that the Buckeyes have a corner taken in the NFL Draft.
And there you see Bob Quinn, also very, very happy."
Mel Kiper Jr.: "Well, you look at him, and you have a complete corner -- a guy that can tackle and that is so important in this league now. With the short passes and coming up and making the tackle on those elusive receivers and the run game, Jeff Okudah is a very confident corner who doesn’t get called for penalties. And he understands how to break up a pass and not draw the flag -- which is critical in the National Football League. But, you’ve got Darius Slay moving on, and you need that lockdown corner and that is what Jeff Okudah will be expected to be. He will hope to be Stephon Gilmore with the Detroit Lions."
