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UPDATE: Per Dave Birkett, O’Korn has not signed as an undrafted free agent, but will be attending camp on a tryout basis.
As expected, the news regarding undrafted free agents has come in floods following the 2018 NFL Draft. For a Detroit Lions team with limited draft picks and spots still available on the roster, their UDFA signings should not go unnoticed.
Late Sunday night there was a bit of a surprise, however. Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback John O’Korn announced on Twitter that he will be among the new UDFAs joining the Lions:
Excited to join the @Lions... grateful for the opportunity #dreamcometrue
— JOK (@JohnOKorn) April 30, 2018
To be clear, this is nothing more than a camp body. The Lions have a clear starter at quarterback, a competitive backup with organizational familiarity, and a recently acquired veteran to compete at the position. No one should expect much from O’Korn unless he has an extremely impressive showing in camp.
O’Korn has not earned many fans throughout his transition from college to the NFL, starting with his performance on the field. While at Michigan, he never looked comfortable, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns and struggling with accuracy in almost every game.
To make matters worse, O’Korn was apparently unaware of his own abilities and obvious shortcomings. During draft preparation, he showed limited self-awareness and claimed to be the top prospect at the position. His conversation with Angelique Chengelis was illuminating, to say the least.
“Honestly, I think I’m the most NFL-ready quarterback in this draft just as far as terminology, and knowing what to do on a day-to-day basis, game-planning ... just on a day-to-day basis what it takes to be an NFL quarterback, I think I would choose myself over any other guy in this draft in that regard.”
It will be an uphill battle for O’Korn in an already full quarterback room. The path for any undrafted free agent is difficult to begin with, but for a player with his past struggles and gaudy attitude, the road will be that much harder.
To keep up to date with all of the Lions UDFA signings and tryouts, follow along here at Pride of Detroit in our UDFA tracker.