Lions trade cornerback Jeff Okudah to the Falcons

Jeff Okudah (All-Pro Reels Photography, Wikimedia Commons)

According to Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports on Tuesday, the Detroit Lions have traded cornerback Jeff Okudah of Grand Prairie, Texas to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth round draft pick in the 2023 National Football League Draft. It should be noted that the 2023 NFL Draft is just around the corner as it starts April 27, just 15 days from now.

Okudah has played the last three seasons with the Lions. In 2022, he played in 15 games and had 73 combined tackles (59 solo tackles and 14 assisted tackles), two tackles for a loss, one interception for 20 yards and one touchdown, seven pass deflections and one forced fumble. The forced fumble came in a 15-9 Lions win over the Green Bay Packers on November 6, and the 20-yard pick six came in a Lions win a week later, in a 31-30 Lions win over the Chicago Bears.

In three NFL seasons, Okudah has 124 combined tackles (103 solo tackles and 21 assisted tackles), six tackles for a loss, two interceptions for 56 yards, one pick six, 10 pass deflections and one forced fumble. Okudah’s first NFL interception was for 36 yards and came in a 26-23 Lions win over the Arizona Cardinals on September 27, 2020.

Okudah was initially the Lions’s first round pick, third overall, in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. He was only selected behind quarterback Joe Burrow, who was taken first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, and defensive end Chase Young, who was taken second overall by Washington.

This was the second trade the Falcons made in the offseason. On March 15, they acquired tight end Jonnu Smith from the New England Patriots for a seventh round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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