Report: Lions' Jeff Okudah to Have Season-Ending Surgery on Core Muscle Injury

Detroit Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah will miss the remainder of the 2020 season because of a core muscle injury. 

Per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Okudah will undergo surgery to repair the issue next week. 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed the news, adding Okudah will be "full strength for the offseason program with a new coach and GM."

The 21-year-old has immediately moved into a key role with the Lions, starting in Week 2 after missing the first game with a hamstring injury. He will finish his rookie campaign with 47 combined tackles and one interception.

Okudah was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the earliest a cornerback has been selected since Shawn Springs in 1997.

"It's a crazy feeling being drafted that high," he said in April, per Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. "The Detroit Lions think a lot about me, and I think it's up to me to return that and give them all that I have and go to work every single day with my teammates and be the best player that I can be."

The selection was earned after an impressive college career at Ohio State, featuring a junior season that saw him become a consensus All-American and Jim Thorpe Award finalist.

Despite his upside, the latest injury gives Okudah an early start on his offseason. Justin Coleman and Darryl Roberts could see bigger roles over the final four weeks of the season.