How Jones Jr. helped Okudah’s growth at cornerback
Through seven weeks of his rookie campaign, cornerback Jeff Okudah has faced off against a few of the elite wide receivers in the entire National Football League.
Okudah can now review and learn from film study of his performances against the Packers’ Davante Adams, the Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins and the Falcons’ Julio Jones.
“I would say it’s been really beneficial just to kind of get those top-tier receivers under my belt,” Okudah expressed Wednesday in a video conference. “It’s a lethal group of receivers. But, at the top, there’s not too many guys like those. So, just to be able to get those guys in the first five, six weeks of the season -I think that’s been big because I’ve seen some of the best of the best so far.”
One aspect of the rookie’s development that has not been discussed too often is how matching up against his own teammates has aided in his development.
Detroit features several talented wide receivers, and the daily matchups and battles have allowed Detroit’s 2020 first-round pick to learn how much attention to detail is necessary for receivers to become elite at their position.
“I pick up little things that receivers do on the NFL level, which is obviously different than the college level,” Okudah said. “And, I think that Marvin Jones has been a big help
with me. He’s talking me through things that he sees. So, I’ve been utilizing him as a resource. And I think that that’s really helped me see things from
a different perspective.”