Jeff Okudah is the best story of Vikings camp (so far)
The former top draft pick of the Lions may be finding his home in Minnesota
By Matthew Coller
EAGAN — It happens all the time. Teams bring in a former top draft pick who hasn’t yet worked out with hopes that they have the special formula for getting the most out of that player. For example, former Minnesota Vikings first-round receiver Laquon Treadwell is still in the league in 2025 with his eighth different franchise. So the Vikings weren’t breaking any new ground when they signed 2020 third-overall pick cornerback Jeff Okudah to a one-year deal.
Why not, right? There is no downside to giving a former first-rounder a shot. In theory, the upside is enormous. The thing about that is: It rarely works.
Usually if the team that drafted the player doesn’t sign them to a long-term deal, it’s a pretty clear indication that there are fatal flaws. The Vikings have found this out in recent years when they have gotten little return on longshot signings of former first or second-rounders like Marcus Davenport, Ross Blacklock and Joejuan Williams.
In the case of Okudah, there aren’t many cornerbacks who have come out in the draft over the last five years who were more impressive prospects. His NFL.com draft profile compared him to future Hall of Famer Patrick Peterson.
“Head coach and general manager's dream prospect with blue-chip physical traits, mental makeup and personal character,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote.
At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Okudah posted 97th percentile broad jump, 93rd percentile vertical and ran a sub-4.5 40-yard dash. Per PFF, he allowed a 42.5 QB rating into throws in his direction at Ohio State in 2019 and had nine pass breakups with three interceptions and an 85.9 coverage grade. It’s hard to find a better set of numbers.
“I actually got a chance to spend some time with him many years ago at Ohio State, went for the Pro Day,” head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “A friend of mine who happens to be the coordinator up in Green Bay now was the coordinator there, and I got to spend some time with Jeff. I just remember thinking to myself, ‘This guy is going to be a top-five pick.’ I mean, felt like he was as tall as I was, big, strong, fast.”
Fast forward 1,929 days, Okudah is on his fourth team.
The early part of his career was filled with starts and stops. As a rookie, he suffered a hamstring injury in camp and then finished the season on IR after surgery for a core muscle injury. In 2021, he suffered an Achilles tear during the opening game.
When he got back in 2022, Okudah had his moments. Facing off with Justin Jefferson in Week 3 of that season, he gave up only 42 yards into his coverage and frustrated the superstar receiver. But at the end of the year, he finished 65th of 75 starting corners by PFF in coverage trade and the new Lions regime elected to move on, sending him to Atlanta for a fifth-round pick. The results weren’t much different with the Falcons. He ranked 78th of 80 in coverage grade in 596 snaps.
The injury bug bit Okudah again in 2024. He was placed on injured reserve in September and wasn’t activated until November, at which point Houston’s defense was already set at corner and he only played 78 snaps.
At some point, it does become the “maybe it will work for us” meme but, in this case, maybe it will.
The reclamation project begins with defensive coordinator Brian Flores, whose defense lives in extremes. The Vikings blitz more than any team in the NFL and play more zone coverage than any other team. They use more deception within the front-seven, forcing shorter throws, which in turn requires the cornerbacks to be dogged tacklers. That is the one area where Okudah has thrived during his career.
“Just watching tape from last year and seeing things they have been able to accomplish in the scheme, and seeing how players come in here with Flores and play to their strengths,” Okudah said. “I think it’s always within a player’s best interest to find a scheme that fits with what they do best. That’s where I feel like I have a lot of untapped potential.”
So far in camp, it looks like that untapped potential is being realized. Okudah has taken nearly all the first-team reps when the defense is in a nickel package with star corner Byron Murphy Jr. in the slot and Isaiah Rodgers on the outside. Okudah has been able to use his physicality — sometimes to the extreme — to make an impact. O’Connell pointed out that one of JJ McCarthy’s only interceptions came on a play here Okudah rerouted the receiver and threw off the timing of the play.
“We're very fortunate to have him,” O’Connell said. “The best part is, I see a clear role for him. Not all corners in our defense play the same spots, play the same roles. To think that we're going to have him in a role we feel pretty strongly about. It's great to see him taking a run with it early on because I think he's had a phenomenal camp.”
The question for Okudah is whether he can put together enough on tape during training camp and preseason for the Vikings to feel good about going into the season with him playing that clear-cut role.
“I think physically, he's big, has long arms, so his ability to potentially put hands on receivers is it's something he's done well over the course of his career and now it's just, how consistent can we be with that?” Flores said. “There's a lot of a lot of work left to do still early but he's off to a good start.”
Okudah is not alone in the cornerback competition. Working his way back from an ACL tear is Mekhi Blackmon, a third-round pick from 2023 that Flores was ready to use as a starting outside cornerback in 2024 before he got hurt early in camp.
“I think Mekhi has looked very good,” Flores said. “His quickness is there, the speed is there, the football acumen is there. And I think just he just continued reps and opportunities. I've been very pleased with him. I think he'll continue to just improve, get better, ascend.”
If Blackmon does continue to get back to 100% following his injury and Okudah still wins the job, it will be telling about how the team feels about Okudah as a significant role player. His emergence also has a chance to change the secondary’s outlook. Going into training camp, it was considered a major question mark because the only solidified players were Murphy Jr. and Rodgers. Adding a former No. 3 overall pick to the mix could turn the weakness into a strength.
Right now, the Okudah project is working out and it’s becoming a great story for the Vikings. He’s getting the opportunity that he wanted in the place that he needed. Of course, there’s a long way to go before it can be declared a success but right now the team looks brilliant for giving him a shot despite the rarity of reclamation projects working out.
Always cool when a guy struggles and then turns it around. It won’t quite be Darnold level if he has a good year, but it’ll still be cool to watch. I’m still more than a little skeptical, but the fact that the team says they have a very clear role for him makes me feel a little better about his chances. Flores is great at scouting his own players and not asking them to do things they aren’t great at, so maybe I should be more optimistic. Shout out to Rob E for starting the Okudah hype on day one.
Well, now you jinxed it.