Lions rookie defensive end Josh Paschal draws intriguing NFL comparison

Josh Paschal was an interesting pick for the Detroit Lions, and he has also now drawn an interesting comparison.

When the Detroit Lions took Kentucky defensive end Josh Paschal with the 46th overall pick in the draft, many fans were surely quick to lament passing on a linebacker or a safety to take another edge rusher.

Overall, Paschal looks like a great fit for the Lions. During an appearance on with the Stoney and Jansen Show on  97.1 The Ticket Tuesday morning, general manager Brad Holmes spoke about simply having to have Paschal.

"You talk about favorites that emerged throughout the process, Josh was one of them,” H”The entire building was just in love with the player. The first time I watched him on film I was like, this guy is unbelievable, in terms of his versatility, his explosiveness, he’s high motor, he fits all the intangibles that we look for.He was one of those guys and I told Dan, ‘If we don’t come off with this guy, I’m going to be mad.’ I told Dan that straight-up, ‘I’m going to be mad if we don’t come off with him.’ But I will say that was an emphasis going into the offseason, pass rush in general, but we wanted to upgrade interior pass rush as well and Josh can help us with that"

Josh Paschal draws interesting comp from Greg Cosell

In terms of pro comparisons, Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah has been the most favorable one for Paschal. But the comp for him from the venerable Greg Cosell, as told to Tim Twentyman of the Lions’ website, hits a little higher.

Shaq Barrett went undrafted in 2014, and did not see the field for the Denver Broncos until the next year. After four mediocre seasons on the field in Denver, he landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He led the NFL in sacks in 2019 with 19.5, and has followed with eight and 10 sack-seasons in 2020 and 2021.

If Paschal eventually becomes one of the better edge rushers in the league, as Barrett has, that feels like a high-end outcome. Which isn’t to say Paschal won’t be a very good and productive player. It’s just that, as an example, a 19.5-sack season is rare air in league history.

But on the other hand, Cosell’s offering of Barrett as a comp for Paschal strikes more meaningfully compared to comps other analysts might have.