3 Reasons Why Jeff Okudah Will Be a Better Pro Corner than Damon Arnette
When the Lions selected Jeff Okudah with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, they firmly believed they found their new stud in the secondary.
What Okudah brings to the table are all of the right things: the proper size, proper speed, skill set, football IQ and a positive, hard-working attitude. It's an attitude that Detroit head coach Matt Patricia is going to love.
Arguably the best cornerback in the entire draft, the Lions were thrilled to grab Okudah third overall.
How does Okudah match up against the rest of the cornerback class, though?
Let’s take a look now at fellow former Ohio State defensive back Damon Arnette, and see how the two corners match up.
Arnette and Okudah developed superior coverage skills as Buckeyes.
Both players were selected in the first round of this year’s draft -- Okudah at No. 3 and Arnette at No. 19.
There is a reason, however, why Okudah was the first to get drafted and why he will ultimately be the better corner when it’s all said and done.
Here are my three reasons for why Okudah will be a better pro than Arnette:
1.) Overall size
At just 6-foot tall and 195 pounds, Arnette comes in at just about average size for a cornerback. Okudah holds the advantage in both height and weight. Okudah stands at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds. Not a massive difference between the two, but the size advantage for Okudah will help him tremendously when it comes to covering NFL wideouts.
2.) Speed and quickness
While the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine is just a small sample size of a player’s quickness, Okudah still takes the crown here as well. Arnette ran a very respectable 4.56, which is good but not as good as Okudah’s 4.48. The additional speed is one of the reasons why Okudah was so dominant at Ohio State. It will benefit him greatly as he faces the tough task of keeping up with wide receivers in the NFL.
3.) Coverage ability
In 2019 alone, Okudah had nine pass-breakups compared to Arnette’s eight. A small margin between the two, but Okudah still held the edge. He also led the team with three interceptions, while Arnette just had one. Very few differences between the two, but again, Okudah showed why he deserved to be selected ahead of Arnette.
We won’t really know which player turns out to be the better of the two until we have a couple of seasons of film on both. However, in a phone conversation with Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden after being drafted, Arnette said that he was the better of the two corners.
Both ex-Buckeyes corners are sure to be factors in today’s NFL. For the Lions' sake, though, Okudah better become the better pro corner of the two.
Related
Lions Decline Fifth-Year Option on Jarrad Davis
Analyst Predicts Detroit Lions Win Total for 2020 Season
Post-Draft Power Rankings List: Where Do Lions Rank?
2021 Mock Drafts Have Lions Picking in Top 10
Julian Okwara Can Be "High-Risk, High-Reward Pass Rusher" for Lions
