Latest injury to former first-round pick has former Ohio State star's football future in doubt

Jeff Okudah was supposed to be a lockdown man corner when he entered the NFL. An absolute star at Ohio State, the third overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft seemed as safe as cornerbacks come into the league. Unfortunately, Okudah's career has been filled with setbacks.

On Wednesday, the current Houston Texans defender was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury. This will keep him on the sideline for at least a month. Now, the former All-American is at a major crossroads in his career.

The 25-year-old Okudah appeared in 13 games and initiated nine starts for the Falcons in the previous season before moving to the Texans through free agency this spring. Unfortunately, Okudah was only on the field for five snaps before the injury forced him out.

This incident marks yet another setback in Okudah's career, which injuries have marred. Selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft, Okudah faced injury challenges in each of his first two seasons, including suffering a torn Achilles in the first game of 2021, limiting him to seven starts in 10 games over those two seasons.

In 2022, a concussion sidelined him for two games, but he started in the other 15 games.

During his last season with Atlanta, Okudah sustained an ankle injury in training camp, causing him to miss the season's first two games, and later missed another game due to a second ankle issue.

As the season advanced, Okudah's role in the Falcons' secondary diminished. Following a standout performance from then-newcomer cornerback Clark Phillips III, who filled in for an injured Okudah in Week 14, Phillips secured the position for the rest of the season.

In the latter part of the season, Okudah was on the field for less than a quarter of the Falcons' defensive plays in Week 15, participated in only four snaps in Week 16, did not play in Week 17, and was limited to six snaps in the final game of the season.

Okudah had been eager to assert a more significant role in Houston, but now, he must wait for at least another four weeks to have the chance.