Philadelphia Eagles: 5 DeVonta Smith matchups to circle on your calendar

Jeffrey Okudah, Lions, Week 8

The third overall pick from the 2020 NFL Draft, Jeffrey Okudah was brought into Detroit under the assumption that he was going to completely transform their defense. Unfortunately for the Lions, that didn’t really happen, as Okudah struggled to ever get out of the gate, ultimately ending his rookie season prematurely with an injury.

It’s not all that uncommon for rookie corners to struggle in the NFL, and the Lions’ defensive scheme under former head coach Matt Patricia had been one of the worst in the league in recent years. Okudah’s “ceiling” should still be viewed as a rather high one in the grand scheme of things, especially if the team’s new-look coaching staff can do a better job of utilizing their player’s talents and skills.

Okudah and Smith never faced each other in college, but like Diggs, this is another player who is going to have a considerable strength/size advantage over Smith. Okudah plays at 205lbs, whereas Smith is likely to be around the 165-170 range.

While Okudah is still undergoing his own respective struggles when it comes to transitioning to the intensity of the NFL, this is still an example of someone who could simply bully Smith around the line of scrimmage. A much-anticipated battle for some of the more diehard college football fans who followed both player’s impressive NCAA careers.