DE Josh Paschal agrees to rookie contract terms

Defensive lineman Josh Paschal, the No. 46 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has agreed to terms on his rookie contract with the Detroit Lions.

Paschal is the final rookie to agree to contract terms with the team.

After being drafted, Paschal explained to reporters if he had goals beyond the game of football.

“I want to play this sport as long as I can, but after this sport is over with me for playing, I want to be around coaching it too,” he said. “This is what I love, so no matter if it’s playing as long as I can, after that, I want to get into coaching.”

One trait that certainly made the 22-year-old desirable for Detroit’s coaching staff and front office was his leadership quality, as he was named a threetime captain at Kentucky.

“It just means that I was blessed enough to be around a lot of great leaders, and they helped me become the leader that

I am. I’m a guy that can change locker rooms,” he explained. “That’s my goal is to come in and learn from the guys, the veterans there, but also step into a leadership role as well.”

The Lions coaching staff is excited about the depth at the defensive line position, despite the Achilles injury to Romeo Okwara.

“We’re excited about where we’re at with that depth. Obviously, we get Romeo back mid-way through. Josh (Paschal) is a guy that can play outside also. So, we have a lot of tools in situations where we have to get after the quarterback that we’re excited about,” defensive line coach Todd Wash told reporters this week. “You hope it’s a foundation for the future. With spending that much money and that kind of stuff to draft these guys high in the draft, they need to be the foundation of the defense.”