3 Things Jeff Okudah Must Do To Have Bounce-Back Season in 2021
Hopes were high headed into the 2020 season for the Detroit Lions' first-round draft choice, Jeff Okudah. However, he never did get on track, nor did the team.
Okudah talked about the lessons he learned from his first NFL season during a video conference with local Detroit media in early January.
"I think I've grown a lot with how I respond to adversity. Kind of knowing what kind of man, what kind of player I am in different situations. The reality is when you're at Ohio State, things are really looking up a lot of the time. You don't really have to deal with losing. You don't deal with dysfunction," Okudah explained. "I think that when you're put in a situation, this is just how life works. You kind of get your little fantasy bubble popped, and now you're in the real, real world. So, now it's how do you respond when you're not always on top, when you're the underdog. And honestly, once you embrace that, I think it's kind of a challenge that you look forward to when you wake up every single day."
After watching his plays last season on NFL Gamepass, it was very clear what he did not do well and what he must do better, if he wishes to meet the expectations that surround him.
1.) He must stay tighter in coverage, so he can effectively contest passes on a consistent basis.
Time and time again against MIN, CAR, JAX, IND and GB, he gave up way too much cushion, and receivers made the grab way too easily. It was like watching pitch and catch.
Okudah needs to stay tighter and get more aggressive when receivers change direction. He gave up too much cushion and too much separation at the break point of routes.
Junfu Han, Imagn Content Services, LLC
2.) He needs to be as physical in coverage, as he is when he is providing run support.
Okudah is like a heat-sinking missile when providing run support.
He needs to bring that same mentality to pass coverage.
3.) He needs to play with better technique and stay in control.
In Week 7 against Atlanta, he played the man and not the ball, and got flagged for pass interference.
In Week 3 against Arizona, he got too physical when the receiver tried to change direction, and he got flagged again.
Okudah looked like a fish out of water during those two instances. He looked lost too often.
If he can do those three things and get back to playing the kind of football he played at Ohio State, it will bode well for the Lions in 2021.
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