Jeff Okudah might start the season on the bench for the Detroit Lions. That’s ok.

I keep scrolling though my timeline and seeing all the “Chicken Little” posts about Jeff Okudah not starting week 1 for the Detroit Lions. Can we all calm down and at least wait for this kid to get on the field?

Cornerback is traditionally a position that takes the most time to adjust to the NFL. Okudah went from guarding 18 year olds to going to covering Julio Jones. That is quite a difference.

In camp he is guarding some elite guys like Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones. Plus, add Qunitez Cephus who Okudah called, “The best receiver I went against. It doesn’t matter what his 40 time was. Football is played in between the lines and he’s a technician, someone that I changed my plan up for every single week”

With all that being said, Okudah was the #3 overall pick. The highest-drafted cornerback since the Seattle Seahawks drafted Shawn Springs #3 overall in 1997. So expectations are very high.

2020 Detroit Lions Off-season

This year has been an odd year for any rookie coming into the league. Practice time has been cut short. There is no pre-season. So, Jeff Okudah really hasn’t had the time to adjust to the NFL, its schemes, its size and its speed. It takes time and that is a commodity no one has had this off-season.

If Okudah starts out the season as the nickle corner, we should not panic. If its week 8 and he’s still struggling then we can revisit the conversation. Until then Calm down about Jeff Okudah!