So..which Okudah do we see?
Sure fire prospect when he was drafted 3rd overall or the oft injured much maligned CB on his 4th NFL team at age 26? The Vikings seem eerily content with their CB room. The Dolphins took Mike Hilton, Jack Jones off the board yesterday. Flores has been pimping Okudah (and Rodgers) and there is no outward signs that we're going to add to a CB room that looks questionable on paper.
From SI.com:
https://www.si.com/nfl/vikings/news/can-jeff-okudah-be-this-years-sam-darnold-success-story-vikings
They play completely different positions, but the similarities between Sam Darnold and Jeff Okudah, at least in terms of career arc, are hard to ignore.
Darnold was the No. 3 overall pick in 2018. He earned the bust label after a poor three years with the Jets and wound up traded before the end of his rookie contract. Darnold bounced around a bit more and then ended up signing a cheap one-year deal with the Vikings as his fourth team, entering his seventh season.
Okudah was the No. 3 overall pick in 2020. He earned the bust label after a poor three years with the Lions and wound up traded before the end of his rookie contract. Okudah bounced around a bit more and then ended up signing a cheap one-year deal with the Vikings as his fourth team, entering his sixth season.
Last year, Kevin O'Connell and his staff — as well as the Vikings' offensive environment — helped get an incredible career year out of Darnold. This year, they hope Brian Flores, Daronte Jones, and the defensive environment in Minnesota can do the same for Okudah.
The early returns have been promising. Okudah, still just 26 years old, has been working with the first-team defense as the CB3 behind Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers. That's a role that would come with significant playing time if he holds onto it. His physicality and athleticism have shown up on the field in practices, and every indication is that he's working extremely hard to try to revive his career.
"It's hard to say without being in each building," Flores said when asked why he thinks Okudah has bounced around the league. "I know, in his time here, he's been as diligent from on the field, off the field, training room, weight room. He's always looking to do extra film work. I don't know what's happened in other buildings. I know that since he's been here, it's been great to coach him."
"I think he's getting better," Flores added. "I think he's getting more comfortable within the defense and what we're gonna ask him to do. And he's shown up positively, really in every way. I'm excited to watch him continue to improve. I think he's got a lot of skill, that's why he was drafted so high. But again, I can't speak for what else has happened, and honestly, I don't want him to think about that. I want him to think about making some improvement today and trying to put his best foot forward at all times."
Okudah came out of Ohio State in 2020 looking like a sure-thing cornerback prospect with size, speed, strength, explosiveness, and sticky coverage ability. But the first five years of his career didn't go to plan.
He struggled in coverage as a rookie under Matt Patricia, then tore his Achilles in the 2021 opener and missed the entire season. Okudah showed some progress as a starter on the 2022 Lions, but Detroit still elected to trade him for a fifth-round pick the next offseason. He was fairly mediocre with the Falcons in '23, then signed with the Texans last year and missed a big chunk of the season with a hip injury, which kept him from earning a role in Houston's defense.
But again, he's only 26. And if there's any coach and organization that can unlock some degree of potential from a player with all kinds of athletic tools, it might be Brian Flores and the Vikings.
Okudah has always played with physicality; Justin Jefferson described him as "annoying" to face earlier this offseason. He'll jam receivers off of their routes in press, like he did to Jordan Addison on a recent practice rep that led to J.J. McCarthy throwing an interception. Okudah is also a strong run defender and tackler. The key that will determine how he fares in Minnesota is his technique (and consistency) in coverage.
If he struggles in that area, Mekhi Blackmon will be lurking as a replacement in the CB3 role. But if Okudah is able to figure it out in Minnesota, he could have a lesser version of the Darnold career revival year for the Vikings in 2025.
badgervike wrote:
But again, he's only 26. And if there's any coach and organization that can unlock some degree of potential from a player with all kinds of athletic tools, it might be Brian Flores and the Vikings.
Agree with this. And kudos to the Vikings for hiring coaches on both sides of the ball who seem to have a real knack for turning bad into good and good into great.
My guess is we get better version of Okudah, even though I really do think that Achilles injury sapped some of his athleticism and Ohio State hid some of his deficiencies. Flores does a very good job of hiding players weaknesses, increasing their confidence, and basically helping them be the best version of the player they can be. Our defensive line will be very good, meaning cornerbacks will likely have to keep coverage a shorter time period, secondly my guess is they may utilize Okudah for more run support package from secondary while also providing coverage. I don't think he will ever turn into the high end prospect he was at Ohio State, but we will also not likely leave him on an island to get beat regularly either.
Low expectations from me, but an interesting story to watch unfold for sure.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
I think the Vikings like him as a reclamation project. Fits the culture from a work ethic and personality standpoint. He sounded really grounded and just appreciative of an opportunity in an interview from OTAs.
I also think the Vikings really like Nudie and Blackmon as young CBs. Hopefully a few of these guys can cement themselves as reliable backups over the next couple weeks of camp.
On Purple Daily yesterday they said that on every snap he's out there they flip Okudah to the short side of the field so he has less area to cover. In other words, they know he still can't cover and are hiding it as much as possible.
If Okudah's with the 1's in Chicago and I'm Ben Johnson, I look his direction every pass play until he shows he isn't the clown he's been for 5 years.
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