5. Jeff Okudah, CB
Sometimes flyers work out in the NFL. A player gets drafted into a bad situation, finds a change of scenery, and takes off with his new team.
Think about what you thought about Darnold this time last season when he struggled with the New York Jets as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft, bottomed out with the Carolina Panthers, and resurfaced to lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record this season.
Perhaps the Texans had the same idea with Jeffrey Okudah but his one-year stay doesn’t seem to be on the verge of an encore.
Okudah was the third overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft but went into a bad situation with Matt Patricia and the Detroit Lions. After appearing in nine games during his rookie season, Okudah tore his ACL in the season opener of the 2021 season. While he rebounded to play 15 games for the Lions in 2022, he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons before signing with the Texans last spring.
If the Texans were looking for lightning in a bottle, Okudah was merely a flicker. He suffered a hip injury in the season opener against the Colts and didn’t return to the field until November.
In six games, Okudah allowed eight catches for 146 yards and a touchdown and his 145.1 passer rating allowed was the highest of his career excluding his injury-shortened 2021 campaign.
The Texans secondary turned out just fine with Derek Stingley Jr. making a big leap and rookie Kamari Lassiter breaking out in his rookie season. But Okudah no longer looks like a reclamation project as opposed to a player who is just injury-prone and ineffective.