2020 NFL Draft: Los Angeles Chargers top five first-round targets
4. Jeffrey Okudah, Cornerback, Ohio State University
The Chargers’ biggest need isn’t cornerback, but they could go this route to sure up the backend of their defense. If they don’t like the quarterback options at six or feel like none of the top offensive tackles are worth a borderline top-five pick, this could be the move.
The Chargers’ defense allowed over 70% of passes attempted against them be completed. If they want to be Super Bowl contenders then they will need to improve on that figure. Okudah would help that number fall as he has a knack for getting his hands on the football, as he has intercepted three passes in his career at OSU and has knocked away 18 others.
Okudah is impressive at what he does and that’s shut down opposing wide receivers on the football field. Okudah can adapt to any kind of defensive scheme but fits best in a man to man scheme where he can challenge opponents one on one.
More often than not Okudah can shut down his opposition using his combination of speed, size, athletic abilities, and refined technique. Okudah has sky-high potential and is a ready-made defender who would be a favorite to land the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
In Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller’s Scouting Notebook, Miller noted that Okudah is the best corner in the draft and delivered a quote from an NFL scout that speaks wonders about Okudah:
"“What if I told you there was a Jalen Ramsey-type cornerback prospect roaming the halls at Ohio State? That’s what NFL scouts believe the Buckeyes have in junior Jeff Okudah. ‘Pat Pete. Ramsey. Whoever you want to compare him to, go ahead,’ said one area scout tasked with scouting Ohio State. ‘He’s better than any dude that’s come out of there.’ That’s high praise for a school that rightfully claims the DBU title.”"
For a school that has produced NFL stars such as Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker, Bradley Roby, and Denzel Ward, that is high praise indeed. Okudah brings an intensity to the game that is evident on the field as he constantly leaves his all out on the field.