Okudah with Lions in 2022
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| No. 11 – Houston Texans | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | (1999-02-02) February 2, 1999 (age 25) Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 202 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | South Grand Prairie | ||||||||||
| College: | Ohio State (2017–2019) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Jeffrey Chidera Okudah (born February 2, 1999) is an American football cornerback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college footballatOhio State, where he was a unanimous All-American in 2019 before being selected by the Detroit Lions third overall in the 2020 NFL draft.
Okudah was born in Grand Prairie, Texas to Nigerian parents.[1] He attended South Grand Prairie High SchoolinGrand Prairie, Texas.[2][3] A five-star recruit, he committed to Ohio State University in January 2017.[4][5]
As a true freshman at Ohio State in 2017, Okudah played in all 14 games and had 17 tackles.[6][7] As a sophomore in 2018, he played in 13 games, recording 32 tackles. As a junior in 2019, he recorded his first career interception against the Miami Redhawks.[8] As a junior in 2019, Okudah had 34 tackles, 9 passes defensed, and 3 interceptions. For his performance that season, he was unanimously named to the 2019 College Football All-America Team and was also named a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.[9] Okudah decided to forgo his senior year by declaring for the 2020 NFL draft.[10]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+1⁄8 in (1.86 m) |
205 lb (93 kg) |
32+5⁄8 in (0.83 m) |
9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) |
4.48 s | 1.60 s | 2.65 s | 41.0 in (1.04 m) |
11 ft 3 in (3.43 m) |
11 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine[11][12] | ||||||||||||
Okudah was considered to be the best cornerback prospect in the 2020 NFL draft,[13][14] where he was selected third overall by the Detroit Lions.[15] He signed his four-year rookie contract with the team on July 13, 2020.[16] The contract was worth a fully guaranteed $33.528 million, including a $21.944 million signing bonus.[17] He suffered a hamstring injury during training camp and missed the opening season game. He returned in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers, where he allowed three completions for 4 yards.[18] The following week, he recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.[19] Okudah was placed on injured reserve after he underwent surgery to resolve a core muscle injury on December 15.[20][21]
During the Lions' 2021 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, Okudah ruptured his Achilles tendon and was placed on injured reserve.[22]
Okudah was traded to the Atlanta Falcons on April 13, 2023, in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.[23]
On March 15, 2024, Okudah signed a one-year contract with the Houston Texans.[24]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2020 | DET | 9 | 6 | 47 | 41 | 6 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 36.0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | DET | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | DET | 15 | 15 | 73 | 59 | 14 | 0.0 | 7 | 1 | 20 | 20.0 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | ATL | 13 | 9 | 44 | 34 | 10 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 38 | 31 | 168 | 137 | 31 | 0.0 | 13 | 2 | 56 | 28.0 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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2019 College Football All-America Team consensus selections
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Detroit Lions 2020 NFL draft selections
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