Scouting Josh Paschal

Former NFL scout Daniel Kelly provides his scouting report of Detroit Lions 2022 second-round pick Josh Paschal.

Lions new defensive lineman Josh Paschal is a good football player on game film.

However, was he good enough to be taken in the second round at No. 46 overall? 

Despite the fact that I really do like Paschal and believe there is something to him, I do not believe he should have been taken that high in the draft as a defensive end.

Why, you may ask? 

Simply, he did not show he had what it took to win the edge all that often at Kentucky. And now, he is expected to come into an even higher level of competition and win the edge in the NFL. 

Paschal was a late riser on the draft board. Back in even late March (just a month before the draft), several major media outlets had Paschal going lower. CBS Sports had him mocked at No. 80, Yahoo Sports projected him to go at No. 125 and Pro Football Network was mocking him at pick No. 207.

The issue with Paschal as a pass rusher is he put up domestic sack totals at Kentucky over the past five seasons. Paschal produced 13.0 sacks over 52 games played and 37 starts (2.6 sacks per season). He added 137 career tackles (72 solo) and 35.5 tackles for loss. 

Don’t fall asleep on him, however. Just because he has not shown himself to be a sack artist, he can generate a lot of pressure, especially inside.

When the dust settles in camp and the preseason, I believe it is going to be very obvious that Paschal is a three-down defensive tackle in a 4-3 defensive scheme (four down linemen and three linebackers). 

He is a human battering ram, with incredible brute physical power inside against the pass and the run. Kentucky lined him up often inside for this reason. Most of the pressure he generated came against the guards and center.

If Paschal stays penciled in at defensive end, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn will need to draw up a lot of designed pass rushes through the inside "B gap" (the gap between the offensive tackle and guard positions). Paschal has his best chance at winning in those situations.

Paschal does not possess the pure speed, nor does he have the arsenal of moves it takes to win the edge against NFL offensive tackles.

No matter how it shakes out, Paschal should absolutely be on the field on third downs, lined up inside next to EDGE rusher Aidan Hutchinson.

Kirthmon F. Dozier, USA TODAY NETWORK

#93 Josh Paschal - 6-foot-3, 278 pounds

2021 Kentucky game film reviewed: Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina

Grade: B-

NFL comparable: Maliek Collins

Scouting Report

Thick, stout, aggressive and extremely physical defender who consistently plays with a high motor. Strong, alpha personality, and has the mentality of a heavy-weight boxer. He is always around the ball or tried his best to get there. Flip-flopped from the right to the left side pre-snap. 

Against the pass, he uses his hands well at the point of attack, and demonstrated tremendous lower and upper body brute strength. Does not have quick twitch explosiveness in his hips at the point. When trying to work the edge, he often got hung out to dry on the perimeter. Could not get there in time through the back-door of the pocket. Was able to show swim move once to achieve pressure from the end position. A no-nonsense and no-frills pass rusher. Best when lined up inside. Crashes gaps, and he did show that short-area burst and close. 

Against the run, was effective getting into position about half the time. Uses his hands, but has trouble disengaging the rest of the time to get into position. Street fighter who works his tail off to get to the ball. Has a mean and nasty disposition, and loves smashing around in heavy traffic areas. Can be fooled by play misdirection, and can miss some tackles he should have made. Toast against double teams. Strictly an inside-the-box run defender. Offered no support outside the box. Plays like football is important to him.

Paschal’s presence will change the complexion and chemistry of Detroit’s defense for the better.

In the end, that’s all that matters. Remember, two years from now, nobody will care what round he was selected in, as long as he proves to be part of the solution.