Detroit Lions trade former third overall pick for nothing

On Tuesday, the Detroit Lions practically gave away former third overall pick Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth round pick.  Wow, I think the Lions got burned here.  On Tuesday, they made the trade with the Falcons that’ll send 2020 third overall pick Jeff Okudah to the ATL.

Okudah, just 24 years old, is set to enter his fourth year in the NFL.  He played in nine games in his rookie season, one game in his second season, but did play in 15 games in his third season.  He’s got two interceptions, 124 total tackles, 10 passes defended, and six tackles for loss in 25 total games.

He surely has not lived up to his draft status, but Okudah’s ceiling could eventually propel him to one of the best CBs in football.

All the Falcons had to give up was a 2023 fifth round pick.  The Atlanta Falcons have remade their defense this offseason, and Okudah is just another addition to try and improve that unit.  I think GM Terry Fontenot is putting this team back on the right track, and I love the trade from their perspective.

Even though I think the Detroit Lions got burned, they still have CJ Gardner-Johnson, Cameron Sutton, and Emmanuel Moseley in the secondary, all being signed this offseason.  With two first round picks and still having needs on defense, the Lions just may end up taking another highly ranked CB prospect in hopes he can bring more production on the field than Okudah did.

The Lions are on the right track, even with this trade.  Detroit Lions’ GM Brad Holmes is clearly trying to turn the page from the previous era, and with Okudah missing a ton of time thus far, he probably wasn’t going to get much more.

We’ll see if Okudah is able to regain some footing early in his NFL career because if so, he’ll be a useful addition for the Falcons.