They “only” got a fifth-round pick for Jeff Okudah, but one grade completely missed the point of the deal for the Detroit Lions.
On Tuesday, a reading of the tea leaves became a trade where the Detroit Lions sent cornerback Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2023 fifth-round pick (No. 159 overall). Okudah was not going to have his $11.5 million fifth-year option for 2024 picked up, and he was increasingly not even a part of the Lions’ plan for the 2023 season.
So Okudah, the third overall pick by the Lions in the 2020 draft, gets a needed change of scenery going to a team he said he wanted to play for before that draft. And the Lions part ways with someone they were going to move on from anyway, and they get something for him rather than have him leave for nothing as a free agent in a year.
Our grade of the Okudah trade from the Lions’ perspective might be a little aggressive. But it’s hard not see the trade as a win-win for all involved, with close grades given to the Lions and the Falcons.
Grade of Jeff Okudah trade for the Lions completely misses the point
Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports graded the Okudah trade for both teams. He gave the Falcons a B, and it makes sense.
"This is obviously a flier, but I respect it. Okudah may be a “bust,” but it’s possible that he just needed a change of scenery….the more additions for the eighth-worst pass defense in the NFL last year, the better. Atlanta has to make a decision on Okudah’s fifth-year option by next month, which likely will be declined. We’ll see if Arthur Smith and Co. can turn his career around."
Dajani gave the Lions a C+ for the deal, with what can best be called increasingly strained rationale.
"As we stated above, no one should be surprised that Okudah was moved. Detroit gave him a chance, and while he did play in a career-high 15 games in 2022, he still wasn’t able to completely avoid injuries. An elbow injury caused him to miss the regular-season finale, and he also missed Detroit’s Week 12 matchup against the Buffalo Bills with a concussion. You could make the argument this isn’t “terrible” compensation for a player the Lions were going to move on from, but still, this is a former No. 3 overall pick.Truth be told, the jury is still out on Okudah. If he’s the player the Lions knew in 2020 and 2021, then Detroit clearly wins this trade. But the young defensive back showed promise in the early stages of last season. Ultimately, the Lions are admitting they missed on a pick."
“You could make the argument this isn’t “terrible” compensation for a player the Lions were going to move on from, but still, this is a former No. 3 overall pick.”
Okudah being the No. 3 overall pick three years ago means nothing now. It’s worth a broad mention, but it’s not a relevant point when it comes to the trade return.
“If he’s the player the Lions knew in 2020 and 2021″….
Okudah was hampered by injuries as a rookie in 2020 under Matt Patricia, and he didn’t finish Week 1 of his second season in 2021 before suffering a torn Achilles. It was not his fault, but there just wasn’t much the Lions could have firmly known about Okudah’s talent in 2020 and 2021–good or bad. Dajani is pointing to bad, but those seasons were incomplete and it’s not fair to do that.
“Ultimately, the Lions are admitting they missed on a pick.”
Hindsight being 20-20, Okudah does go down as a draft miss by the Lions. He’s also a miss by the previous regime in Detroit, which Dajani seemingly either doesn’t recall or left out to fit giving the Lions a C+ for the trade.
The Lions got what they could for Okudah, who was not guaranteed a roster spot for them this year. Giving the Lions merely a C+ for the trade is a sign you’ve missed the whole picture of why they did the deal, with mention of things that miss the whole picture as the icing on the cake.