That’s the title of this article. Which seems like a bit of a hot take to me.
But there’s some talk in here about Okudah’s rehab.
Do you think he’s dangerously close to a bust?
Personally I think we’d be lucky if he can return back anywhere near 100%.
I do think it’s most likely he won’t be the same player.
Like most I’m hoping for the best.
Injuries happen, the achilleas was unfortunate, but how do you draft an injured corner at 3OA? The only words I have for Quinn are not words I care to publicize!
Obviously as you mentioned the headline is a hot take, but it’s really not that far off from an outside looking in perspective. He was horrendous his rookie year and dealt with injuries. He gave up a big catch to Deebo then got lost for the year. He has done nothing to suggest otherwise on Sundays.
I really liked him coming out in the draft. He got saddled with awful coaching his first year. All report last offseason through everyone who covered the Lions was how he looked like a really good player in practices. I already mentioned before how I think the Achilles won’t be a major issue. I also thoroughly believe in Pleasant and Glenn.
Him and Goff are two of the more interesting storylines to follow this season.
Worst money spent by the fords since the pinto.
By their definition it’s hard to not consider him dangerously close to being a bust
Unless there was an injury history which should make a team hesitant to pick a player. I don’t really like calling guys who get injured busts.
More like bad luck
And Okudah has had his share of bad luck beginning with poor coaching in his rookie year.
It’ll be difficult to trust his availability until he strings together a couple healthy season’s
Well said.
Niiiiice! Hilarious, but hopefully not true.
He’ll be a solid player, IF healthy. Our coaching staff will gt the most out of him, for sure. I view him as put in an impossible situation as a rook. Patricia’s 3 man rush defense was reeee-dick-you-luuuussss! DBs should have been pissed (see players that wanted out for further proof). 
He’s basically an injured rookie to me.
The real question to me is this… How much do you believe in his ability to recover from his injuries?
I would have been really concerned if you mentioned the Edsel.
The only thing that has aged worse than Bill Cosby sweaters is Bill Cosby himself.
Anything we get from Okudah next year is gravy. If he can become a solid #2 CB, I’ll be happy.
I guess if you look at what he has done for the Lions his first 2 seasons then "bust could be an appropriate label. On the other hand if you actually look at what he had to deal with, poor coaching and injuries, then it is still up in the air.
I believe that this offseason is going to truly tell the tale on his career. If the injury deprived us of seeing just how much he has grown as a player, and he is ready to take it to the next level this season, then calling him a bust might be premature. On the other hand if he is lost due to another injury or cannot show why he was drafted in the first round 2 years ago, then “bust” might be a polite way to say that his time in the NFL has come to an end.
This is a boom or bust year for him, no doubt. But:
He stayed with the team all year while rehabbing, so he did all the mental prep as if he was playing
Matt Patricia’s defense was hot garbage
Playing corner as a rookie is one of the toughest jobs in the NFL. Combine this with point 2) and he should get a pass for what he put on tape in 2020
The players who most exceeded expectations last year were the DBs. AG and his staff proved that they can coach guys up in those positions
Achilles injuries aren’t what they used to be
His mentality and work ethic are said to be elite
If he’s healthy, everything should be in place for him to show his talent.
Okudah is Exhibit A for why you should have a strong bullshit detector in place when listening to draft pundits’ hot air before a draft.
The highest-drafted cornerback in a quarter century, and a lot of the big-name pundits were fine with that. Clowns throwing darts at a dart board, with no accountability. Worse, they’re just regurgitating whatever spin and smoke front offices are feeding them.
I think of it this way, Stafford would have been considered a bust after his first 2 years as well. Bunch of injuries just like Okudah. Hopefully Okudah comes back strong and motivated in year 3. I think AG and Pleasant are going to bring the best out of him if he can get healthy.
Achilles and outside Cover Corner isn’t something I’m remotely banking on working out. He was a mess in coverage when he was healthy. He was already grabby, but remember how Bryant Westbrook just lost complete confidence in his ability to turn and run with WR’s, and he turned into a flag machine. Yes I know medicine has advanced, but I’m going to have to see it to believe it. Unfortunately, we have to move on and IF he somehow comes back strong in 2022, then great problem to have and Iffy gets more time to develop.
Of course there is concern coming back from major surgery. His age helps though, still only 23 years. We saw how well Akers came back for the Rams. The good news is we have depth at corner. AO had 6 interceptions, Iffy, Jacobs and Parker all showed potential last year. And add in Okudah. That’s 5 corners right there all 25 years old or younger. Okudah moving to safety is a possibility as well. He does tackle well and isn’t afraid to hit, we saw that in his rookie year.
The best CBs in the 2020 draft, by far, have been AJ Terrell, No. 16 overall, and Trevon Diggs, No. 51 overall. No. 50 overall, Jaylon Johnson, has 28 games and 28 starts for the Bears.
Beyond that, it’s been Turd Watch for the 2020 top CBs:
Okudah, No. 3 overall, looks like a bust so far relative to his draft position.
Henderson, No. 9 overall, the Jags traded him to Carolina with a 2022 5th Rd pick in exchange for tight end Dan Arnold and a 2022 3rd Rd pick…
Arnette, No. 19 overall, one of the busts that got Mayock fired.
Noah Igbinoghene, No. 30 overall, 3 starts in 23 games, but was behind Xavien Howard, Byron Jones, and Justin Coleman, so at least there’s a reason.
Jeff Gladney, No. 31 overall, there were pre-draft character concerns about the guy. After being indicted, was released and remains a street free agent.
I can see hoping for elite cover corner Okudah. Even starting FS Okudah. If I were Holmes, I’d be betting on neither of those things happening. I never put CB high on my “where to invest high resources” list for 2022. But it’s more about how I feel about AO, Jacobs, Iffy, Parker and the ability of Glenn/Pleasant to coach them up. Not that I’m viewing on monumental comeback year from Okudah. Hate to bet against a great young man. But hard realities are what they are. I hope for lots of reasons, that I am wrong.
Stafford re-aggrivated the same injury because the dumb-asses brought him back too early. He was called a china doll, then immediately became one of the top ironman records for starting most games after that. Stafford never looked like a bust to me. Loved the guy since day 1.
Hope Jeff isn’t injury prone. I have more doubts with him than I did with Matt, but I’m damn sure hoping he turns out to be amazing.
#StaffordThread
LOL - I love it!
