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With their second round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions have selected Joshua Paschal, a defensive lineman out of Kentucky.
Paschal is a high-character player who was a three-time captain at Kentucky. He has an inspiring story, too, as a cancer survivor.
Last season, he tallied 15.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks on his way to second-team All American honors. Standing at 6-foot-2, 270 pounds, he’s got versatility to play up and down the line, and the Lions will likely be using him wherever they can, potentially even linebacker.
In the past two years, Lions general manager Brad Holmes has now spent four draft picks in the two years on the defensive line, as they continue to build through the trenches.
Paschal has also got a bucket of athletic traits that allow him to be both physical and aggressive in the running game, though his bend as a pass rusher isn’t quite there.
Josh Paschal was drafted with pick 46 of round 2 in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 9.7 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 46 out of 1503 DE from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/HksY0qEqof #RAS #Lions pic.twitter.com/VzYI4xDjEO
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 30, 2022
Paschal was 44th on PFF’s big board, meaning the Lions got average value for their pick, although others had third-round grades on him. Still, he was the highest-graded edge defender in the SEC last year, meaning he can be productive against a high level of competition:
The Detroit Lions pick Kentucky EDGE Josh Paschal at No. 46 overall.
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) April 30, 2022
90.0 PFF grade in 2021 (1st among SEC EDGEs) pic.twitter.com/cMfxn8IjMv
Lions picks thus far
Lions remaining picks
- Round 3, Pick 33 (97th overall)
- Round 5, Pick 34 (177th overall)
- Round 6, Pick 2 (181st overall)
- Round 6, Pick 39 (217th overall)
Top remaining needs for Lions:
- Linebacker
- Safety
Edge defenderWide receiver- Tight end
- Quarterback
- Defensive tackle
- Guard
NFL Draft schedule
Day 2
What: Rounds 2, 3
When: Friday, April 29 — 7 p.m. ET
Where: Allegiant Stadium — Las Vegas, NV
TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
Online Streaming: ESPN.com, NFL.com
POD live show: twitch.tv/prideofdetroit
Day 3
What: Rounds 4-7
When: Saturday, April 30 — Noon p.m. ET
Where: Allegiant Stadium — Las Vegas, NV
TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
Online Streaming: ESPN.com, NFL.com
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