> CORNERBACK
Jeffrey Okudah (JR)
Ohio St
Measurables: Height: 6’1” Weight: 205 lbs.
1
40 Time: 4.48
NFL COMBINE: 41” vertical 135” broad 11 bench reps
2019 STATS: 34 tackles 1 TFL 3 INT 9 PBU 1 FF
In a Nut Shell:
Although no NFL draft choice is ever fully guaranteed to be a success in the league, Jeff Okudah is a close thing to it. His combination of great technique, very good athleticism and versatility gives him the highest floor in this cornerback draft class. Vs. Pass: In coverage, Okudah works best when close to the line of scrimmage. He’s capable of pulling out a different tool from his toolkit on any given play, showing the ability to stonewall receivers at the line with a two-handed jam, getting control of them early in the route using only one hand at the line or playing soft press and mirroring the release with his top-level footwork and smoothly matching receivers through their route. He has also played well enough in both zone and off man to be useful to a team that likes to mix up coverages, although he did occasionally struggle to break on passes in front of him out of deeper alignments. In terms of ball skills, Okudah prefers to play the receiver’s hands rather than trying for an interception, and he often forces incompletions when a catch seems all but inevitable.
STAT HIGHLIGHT:
Okudah’s critics may point to his low interception numbers (only three, all coming in his final season). However, as stated previously, his preferred technique when the ball is in the air involves staying in position and keeping his eyes on the receiver and then matching his hands to theirs and contesting at the catch point as the receiver tries to bring the ball in. He is more than capable of turning to find the ball in the air, but his preferred style of contesting the catch results in getting beat less often and gives him much more consistency on a snap-tosnap basis, which is what teams look for in a top coverage cornerback.
Fit with the Packers:
Should Green Bay decide to trade up for Okudah, he would slide into strong contention for the starting spot opposite Jaire Alexander, possibly as soon as the first few games of the 2020 season. Although Kevin King has his strengths, Okudah’s reliability over the whole length of the field would be a compelling reason for him to get the nod in base packages over King.
Vs. Run: As a run defender, Okudah is a willing and gap-sound tackler but did not play with much functional strength or have especially good tackling technique. He does well in keeping blocking receivers at arms’ length.
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