Detroit Lions: Cornerbacks drafted in the top-five are rare
The Detroit Lions are projected to select Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah with the third overall pick. History tells us that cornerbacks taken that high are rare.
The Detroit Lions fielded the worst passing defense in the NFL in 2019, allowing a league-high 284.4 yards per game through the air to opposing offenses. It was just one of many things that went wrong for the 3-12-1 Lions last season.
But Detroit has been about the business of improving their secondary woes this offseason. The biggest change being the trade of three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, who was sent to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for draft picks in the third and fifth-round of the upcoming draft.
The Lions also decided not to re-sign free-agent cornerback Rashaan Melvin, a veteran who started 12 games during his lone season in Detroit. Melvin has now reportedly agreed to join the Jacksonville Jaguars. Detroit also replaced defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni with former Eagles defensive backs coach Cory Undlin.
The addition of veteran cornerback Desmond Trufant in free agency and the trade for former New England Patriots safety Duron Harmon has helped to fill some of the voids in the secondary. But the biggest addition is expected to coming in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Owning the third overall selection in the first round, the Lions are often projected to select Ohio State cornerback Jeffery Okudah in mock drafts. Even if Detroit opts to trade back for more picks, Okudah still figures to be the likely target based on both team need and talent.
Yet, if the Lions do decide to draft a cornerback in the top-five of the first round, they’ll be entering some rarefied air. Let’s take a look at every cornerback selected in the top-five since Detroit last won a playoff game back in 1992.
2018 – 1st Round (4th) Cleveland Browns – Denzel Ward, CB – Ohio State
2016 – 1st Round (5th) Jacksonville Jaguars – Jalen Ramsey, CB – Florida State
2011 – 1st Round (5th) Arizona Cardinals – Patrick Peterson, CB – LSU
2003 – 1st Round (5th) Dallas Cowboys – Terence Newman, CB – Kansas State
2002 – 1st Round (5th) San Diego Chargers – Quentin Jammer, CB – Texas
1998 – 1st Round (4th) Oakland Raiders – Charles Woodson, CB – Michigan
1997 – 1st Round (3th) Seattle Seahawks – Shawn Springs, CB – Ohio State
1997 – 1st Round (5th) Detroit Lions – Bryant Westbrook, CB – Texas
1992 – 1st Round (5th) Green Bay Packers – Terrell Buckley, CB – Florida State
If the Lions do select Okudah with the third overall pick in this month’s draft, it will be the first time a cornerback has been selected that high in 23 years. But there are also some impressive names on the above list, including nine-time Pro Bowler and Michigan Wolverine legend Charles Woodson.
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The question about Jeff Okudah, as it is with every draft selection, is whether the prospect is worthy of being selected that high. Compared to an elite cornerback who appears on the above list, Patrick Peterson, Okudah is a very special player by most accounts and is the unquestioned top defensive back in this draft class. And he would certainly fill a major need for the Lions in an area they struggled with last season.