2021 was an absolutely terrible year for Jeff Okudah. After a string of injuries in 2020, the Detroit Lions cornerback was ready to make an impact in Year 2. Unfortunately, his season ended before it even truly begun. Okudah tore his Achilles in their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, ending his season on the spot.
Almost a year after that horrific incident, Jeff Okudah opened up about his thoughts when the injury happened. The Lions star was absolutely devastated when his aunt picked him up. Okudah likened that day to a “nightmare”. (via ESPN)
“A lot of emotion kind of poured over me,” Okudah said. “She really never seen me cry before, but I just had big hopes for that last year, so that day, I was down. It kind of felt like I was living a nightmare, honestly.”
Okudah was the Lions' 2020 first-round pick in the NFL draft, taken third overall by the team. At the time, he was considered one of the best cornerback prospects in the league. He certainly showed flashes of his potential, but he was eventually shut down in December due to injuries.
Now, Jeff Okudah is ready to tear it up for the Lions again. The cornerback has been officially named as the starter for the team in 2022. With the lessons he learned from his rehab, Okudah has found a new perspective in life. He realizes that he's already come so far with his rehab, but he knows the journey's not over yet.
“Whenever I can just sit down and think about the journey thus far, the things that come with an Achilles injury, and where I’m at, I try not to be too hard on myself and just be a little bit proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish,” Okudah said. “But, with that being said, I still try to keep the mentality of ‘the work’s not finished.'”
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