Vikings add Jeff Okudah, the third pick in the 2020 draft, for cornerback depth

By Canadian Press on March 18, 2025.

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms on a contract with cornerback Jeff Okudah on Tuesday, adding the third overall pick from the 2020 draft whose career has been sidetracked by injuries.

Okudah was limited to six games last season for the Houston Texans. He suffered a hip injury while playing on special teams in the opener. Okudah played in 2023 for the Atlanta Falcons, who acquired him for a fifth-round draft pick in a trade with the Detroit Lions. He played in only 10 of a possible 33 games over his first two years with the Lions, hampered by hamstring, shoulder and Achilles tendon injuries. He tore the Achilles tendon in the 2021 opener and missed the entire season.

Okudah, who played collegiately at Ohio State, was the first defensive back to crack the top three of the NFL draft since Shawn Springs was picked third by Seattle in 1997. Houston’s Derek Stingley followed in 2022 at third overall.

Okudah has two interceptions and 14 passes defensed in 44 career games. He likely will slot in the depth chart at cornerback behind Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers and Mekhi Blackmon.

The Vikings also agreed to terms on a contract with wide receiver Tim Jones, who primarily played on special teams for the Jacksonville Jaguars and appeared in all 17 games in each of the last three seasons. He went undrafted in 2021 out of Southern Mississippi and spent his rookie year on the Jags’ practice squad.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

The Associated Press

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