The Detroit Lions went predictable on Day 1 of the NFL Draft. They went safe. Went obvious. Passed on the potentially generational arm of Tua. Opted against the freakish athleticism and versatility of Isaiah Simmons. They drafted a cornerback a month after running a Pro Bowler of the same position out of town. These are the criticisms you will hear in the coming days from the vocal crowd who is up in arms over the Lions selection of Jeff Okudah (CB – Ohio State) at No. 3 overall. But do you know what else they may have done?

Taken the best player available. Only time will tell.

What they got:

There is no such thing as a “can’t miss” prospect, but Jeff Okudah is about as close as you can get to such a claim. He became the sixth Ohio State cornerback to be taken in the first round since 2013, while his teammate Damon Arnette made it seven(!) after being selected at No. 19, so it appears those clowns fine gentlemen down south know a thing or two about developing elite defensive backs. When the dust settles on Okudah’s career, he has the chance to be the best of the bunch. If he can overcome that whole “playing for the Detroit Lions” thing, that is.

Okudah is terrific virtually everywhere, has prototype physical traits, and his press-man prowess should translate seamlessly to what Matt Patricia will ask of him in Detroit. With the NFL’s abbreviated offseason, getting an elite defender who won’t require hand-holding or being asked to do things he is unfamiliar with should pay immediate dividends. Other teams who drafted players labeled as “projects” could be in for a rough 2020, considering they can’t even meet their new players, let alone teach them a new scheme. He should also be a significant character upgrade over the guy he is replacing (Got a problem with someone? Call their ass out to their face. Not two years later on Instagram Live and Twitter).

Okudah projects as a set-it-and-forget-it type of defensive back, and just might reach that potential without the year-one growing pains that are all too common at the position. After all, former Buckeye CB Marshon Lattimore parlayed his first season into a Defensive Rookie of the Year award and Pro Bowl in 2017. Even if Okudah doesn’t reach those lofty heights, the odds of this pick busting are quite low. From Pro Football Focus: 

“Cornerback is a position that has been drafted incredibly well in the first round, as there are very few busts, and there is a high drop-off to the second round. In fact, it’s the largest drop-off among all positions.”

As if this pick didn’t make enough sense, new Lions Defensive Coordinator Cory Undlin has spent the majority of his career as a defensive backs coach. This little tidbit had been buried in my notes (I swear) and should have been discussed more leading up to the draft. The pre-draft surge of Derrick Brown to Detroit rumors could have been squashed with this not-insignificant detail. I will be surprised if Okudah doesn’t make an immediate impact in year one. He’ll need to in order to justify that price tag.

What happened to the trade down?

Yeah, trading back would’ve been nice. Too bad, contrary to the 1,944,752 rumors since the Lions officially declared themselves “open for business” at the NFL Combine, there apparently were no official offers on the table for Detroit to move back. In all likelihood, they could have still landed Okudah as far back as No. 6. The Dolphins and Chargers took quarterbacks with their selections at 5-6, indicating that was likely their plan all along.  

The problem here was the Chargers not valuing Tua Tagovailoa appreciably more (or at all) than the quarterback they selected at No. 6, Oregon’s Justin Herbert. Clearly Miami favored Tua at No. 5, given the fact that they had the choice between the two. This put the pressure on LAC to make the move if they had to have Tua. The problem is, they only owned a fraction of the draft capital the Dolphins did and were far less likely to part with what they had.

Of course, if the Chargers actually favored Herbert over Tua, there isn’t much to talk about here. The Lions simply had little to no leverage. The Dolphins trading up would have been an unnecessary defensive maneuver. While they had all the assets in the world to put some insurance on the Tua selection, why pay for it if you don’t need to? And for anyone out there who thinks the Lions should have just drafted Tua and held him hostage, holding him for ransom…this isn’t Taken 4: Virtual Insanity, and Bob Quinn isn’t whoever Liam Neeson is about to kill with his very specific set of skills. I love all the armchair GMs out there who dream up these scenarios, acting like these aren’t, I don’t know, actual human lives we are dealing with. 

Yes, trading back to No. 5 or No. 6 and still landing Okudah was my best-case scenario (check the tape), and that didn’t happen. While it is disappointing, I can’t fault the Lions until I have evidence that there was an actual offer in place that they turned down. At the end of the day (round?) they still got the guy that makes the most sense to immediately make the team better, which is the most important part. Not adding to their draft war chest only makes it that much more critical that the Lions nail their Day 2 selections, and there are a ton of first-round caliber players left on the board. Here’s the kicker…those first-round caliber players also fill positions of NEED.

There is a golden opportunity for the Lions to get better in a hurry with the way this draft is playing out. As long as Bob Quinn has my Draft Do’s and Don’ts tab open on Day 2, things should go smoothly. 

Final Grade = A……….pointless exercise

No no no no no no no. Stop right there. If you came here for the “grade the pick” game, you can go talk to a less sophisticated guy blogging about sports in his sweatpants. Instant grades serve no purpose, considering we are grading players who have not yet played a snap in their professional careers. The Jeff Okudah pick could be an A+, could be an F-. We can circle back in three years and grade it if you want, after they, you know, play football and stuff. But you won’t. You need a grade, and you need it now. Well…my site, my rules. Cry about it.

If I am grading my satisfaction level after Day 1, I’ll give it a B+. Player was ideal, knocked down a couple pegs for a less-than-ideal draft position.

There. Did you get your fix, you draft grade junkie?

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