The analysts at Pro Football Focus are progressing through their offseason positional unit breakdowns, and the latest entry is ranking the NFL’s 32 secondaries. There’s a disconnect between how PFF sees the Detroit Lions secondary and how most fans feel about the rebuilt unit, it seems.
PFF’s Mike Renner slots the Lions secondary 25th overall. Detroit gets slotted into the “serious flaws” category with teams like the Colts, Commanders and Steelers. He cites the uncertainty surrounding CB Jeff Okudah in the explanation,
A good deal of this ranking hinges on Jeff Okudah looking more like the player who ranked fourth on PFF’s draft board back in 2020 and less like the one who’s allowed a career 121.8 passer rating into his coverage. The good news is that he’s still young, having turned 23 earlier this year.
Lions fans tend to feel pretty bullish on a unit that added veteran S DeShon Elliott and versatile CB Mike Hughes, who PFF projects to start in the slot. Many of us are also big fans of rookie safety Kerby Joseph and second-year outside CB Jerry Jacobs–one of the NFL’s best rookie corners in 2021 before getting hurt.
This ranking is a cold reality check for a young unit that has considerable potential but also much to prove after too many breakdowns and missed tackles over the last several seasons.
