Josh Pascal has big goals for his rookie season with Detroit Lionsand they went beyond what he and new teammate, first-round pick Aidan Hutchinson, could do on the field.
“I am a man who can change locker rooms,” Paschal, Black selection in the second round, No. 46 overall, he said Friday in a video conference with Detroit reporters. “That’s my goal to get in, learn from the guys, the veterans out there, but also step into a leadership role.”
Selected to the first team as a defensive line man, Paschal received high scouting scores in the pre-draft process for his play on the field, his character, and his leadership off the field.
He was named Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year last season after leading a peaceful rally against racial injustice in downtown Lexington in the summer of 2020. He was voted as the only full season captain three times in Kentucky football history.
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Describing Paschal for the Free Press earlier this month, one Scout said he is so highly regarded from a character’s point of view that he “could become president” one day.
“You’re stunned when you play the tape, but then you find out more about the human and you’re more affected,” said Brad Holmes, general manager of Lions.
Pascal said politics is not in his future. He wants to play football ‘as long as I can’, then maybe head towards training. He attributed his leadership traits to being “around so many great leaders who helped me become the leader I am.”
Pascal said, “I think I’m a guy who is close to people. I think everyone you lead should have that bond with him, but some guys respond better to calling someone out, and some guys respond better to pulling someone over to the side. Go to Detroit now.” I’ll be able to really take it all in this first year and be able to learn from the veterans.”
Pascal played for three years with the Wildcats, and had 13 sacks in 52 career games.
He missed most of the 2018 season after being diagnosed with malignant melanoma on his right foot, which he said gave him a new perspective on sport and life.
In an article by the American Academy of Dermatology,Pascal wrote that he was disturbed by a stinging sensation at the base of his foot. He underwent three surgeries and months of immunotherapy, and is back to play the last three games of the season.
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“I’ve learned a lot in that time,” he said on Friday. “I have learned to take not just this game but life for granted, and to take every day and every moment as a blessing no matter if it comes out in that training field or if it’s just getting up in the morning. Everything is a blessing. I am so fortunate For being in the position I’m in right now, and I feel like everything has come full circle and I’m fortunate to be a lion.”
In Detroit, Pascal should play a key role in the Lions’ revamped defense line this fall.
Hutchinson is expected to start on one end position, the Lions return to last year’s sack leader Charles Harris and he expects Romeo Okwara to return from a torn Achilles tendon sometime this summer. But Holmes said Pascal has a knack for setting edges and a rushing inside pass to play important shots as a novice.
“He’s a footballer, and that’s what we talk about all the time,” Holmes said. “None of those guys we got aren’t brave. So that’s all of those guys. These guys are brave footballers. Josh is one, but he’s more than that. He has intangibles and a great personality and he should be able to contribute hopefully soon.” “.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter Tweet embed