2020 NFL Draft: How Jeff Okudah impacts Detroit Lions’ roster

The Detroit Lions ended up using their first round pick on Jeff Okudah. How will the selection of the Ohio State cornerback impact the Lions roster going forward? Let’s have a look.

Player selected: Jeff Okudah

Position: CB

Current players on roster at CB:

• Jamal Agnew
• Justin Coleman
• Mike Ford
• Mike Jackson
• Tony McRae
• Amani Oruwariye
• Darryl Roberts
• Desmond Trufant
• Dee Virgin

Offseason losses at CB:

• Rashaan Melvin
• Darius Slay

Impact:

The Detroit Lions cornerback room is certainly full after drafting Jeff Okudah, but it will be a very different group from 2019.

The obvious loss is the departure of Darius Slay via trade, and with it goes one of the best corners in the league. The Lions were in immediate need of a starting cornerback, and they signed Desmond Trufant as a veteran presence. Depending on how the draft fell, Trufant could have been slated to be the Lions’ CB1 in 2020, rounded out by Amani Oruwariye and Justin Coleman. Oruwariye ended the year strong and showed flashes to become a solid cornerback. Coleman, meanwhile, had an excellent start to the year before cooling off, although his knack for creating fumbles was consistent the entire year.

Okudah should immediately jump into a starting role, likely across from Trufant to start. Depending on how he and Trufant perform in their first seasons in Detroit, we might see some reshuffling in the secondary. Agnew, Ford, Jackson, McRae, Roberts, and Virgin are all slated to be special teams contributors, and likely won’t challenge for a starting role in 2020, although it is worth noting that Jackson was the Dallas Cowboy’s fifth-round pick in 2019.

Trading away Darius Slay was always going to be a tough move to recover from, but this cornerback group certainly has some potential to impress. With Okudah and Oruwariye in the fold, the future is bright. Adding in Trufant and Coleman, and the near future isn’t too bad either.