Atlanta Falcons just stole a former top-3 pick from the Detroit Lions

The Atlanta Falcons have certainly done their part to upgrade a roster that surprisingly overachieved last season. General manager Terry Fontenot has gone ahead and brought in Ryan Nielsen to run the Falcons’ defense and added players like Calais Campbell, David Onyemata, Kaden Elliss, and safety Jessie Bates, but he wasn’t done there. Fontenot now has made another big splash, striking up a trade with the Detroit Lions and their GM, Brad Holmes.

The trade involves former third-overall pick Jeff Okudah going back to the Atlanta Falcons to pair up with star cornerback AJ Terrell in the revamped secondary. The Falcons also, of course, still have veteran Casey Hayward in the mix at cornerback as well. This is a secondary that has now added some former premier prospects in the last handful of years. Not only have the Falcons drafted their own guys like Terrell and safety Richie James, but they have signed, traded for, and acquired three former first-round picks at the cornerback position in Okudah, Hayward, and 2023 free agent pickup Mike Hughes.

Atlanta Falcons land Jeff Okudah in a trade with the Detroit Lions

The compensation going back to the Detroit Lions is just a fifth-round pick, so it’s got to be disappointing if you’re a Lions fan to see Okudah’s time in Detroit end this way. If you’re a Falcons fan? You’ve got to be ecstatic. Okudah was the third overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft and over the course of his first two NFL seasons, injuries limited him to just 10 total games.

He finally played 15 games in the 2022 season, staying healthy (for the most part), and began to scratch the surface of what he could do and what made him such a special prospect coming out of Ohio State a few years ago. Okudah also just turned 24 in February, and is slated to hit free agency in 2024 if the Falcons don’t pick up his fifth-year option.

Picking up that option might be a bit expensive and risky, but this is just a great, calculated risk by the Falcons to get a talented player at a premium position who could end up being an absolute stud for them. Even if it doesn’t work out, you only gave up a fifth-round pick which can be recouped easily.

The Lions clearly wanted a fresh start for Okudah, and were willing to take poor value to give it to him. Or perhaps this was really the best offer they had out there for him. Regardless, Okudah goes to the Falcons now while the Lions have plenty of additions to be excited about themselves. They have made no shortage of big moves in 2023 and both defenses in Detroit and Atlanta could end up being the most improved units in the entire league.