The Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons pulled off a shocking move on Tuesday afternoon that sent Jeff Okudah to the Falcons in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round pick. Okudah, who was the third overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, is viewed to have quite a bit of potential, so to see him get dealt to the Falcons for only a fifth-round pick in return was fairly surprising.

For Okudah, though, it appears as if this is a move that he had been waiting for. Okudah didn't have the stint that was expected with the Lions, and may have been looking to force his way off of the team. Shortly after the trade was announced, Okudah made his thoughts known with a simple one-emoji tweet.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
A Lions mock draft one week before the 2024 NFL Draft.

Tristin McKinstry Ā·

Jeff Okudah had a rocky rookie campaign with Detroit in 2020 before missing virtually the entire 2021 campaign after rupturing his achilles tendon in Week 1. Okudah returned and played in 15 games for the Lions last season, and while he showed some improvement, he still wasn't coming close to the billing of a player selected with the third overall pick of the draft, and the Lions opted to cut their losses with the young cornerback.

The Falcons will eat the rest of the guaranteed money on Okudah's rookie deal, but they will likely be thrilled to have landed a young cornerback with tons of potential. Okudah has struggled with injuries, yes, but there's a reason why he was taken third overall in the 2020 draft. It will be interesting to see if Okudah can live up to his potential with this change of scenery, because if he does, the Lions will surely hear about it.