Ohio State Football: Detroit Lions could be perfect fit for Jeff Okudah

The Ohio State football team has several former players hoping to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft and a couple should be chosen early.

While many mock drafts have former defensive end for the Ohio State football team Chase Young going No. 2 in the 2020 NFL Draft, one Buckeye should be selected right after him. That Buckeye is former OSU cornerback Jeffrey Okudah.

In Todd McShay’s latest mock draft on ESPN, Okudah is projected to be selected third overall by the Detroit Lions. Believe it or not, this could be a perfect fit for him.

I know this wouldn’t give Okudah much of a chance to win as the Lions haven’t won a playoff game since 1992, but this could be a place where Okudah not only gets immediate playing time, but can also learn how to help develop into an even more dominant corner.

The Lions already have cornerback Darius Slay and he is under contract for at least next season, so if Okudah goes to Detroit he would then have the opportunity to learn from him. Slay is considered to be one of the best corners in the league as he is a three-time Pro Bowler and he earned All-Pro honors in 2017. That’s a good guy to learn from.

Additionally, even though the Lions already have a great cornerback, they do certainly need Okudah’s help as they allowed a league-worst 284.4 passing yards per game in 2019. This means Okudah would have the opportunity to start and make an impact immediately as they need as much help as they can get defending the pass.

Okudah has a chance to be one of the best cornerbacks in the league as he had three interceptions and one forced fumble his senior year and was ultimately a unanimous first team All-American. Additionally, he did not allow one receiver to catch 50-plus receiving yards once during the final 27 games of his college career, according to Pro Football Focus. This man is the real deal and he can even become more elite if he is drafted into the perfect situation which, I think, is the Detroit Lions.