Getty Josh Paschal makes a play in 2021 for Kentucky.
It was a big weekend for Josh Paschal of the Detroit Lions, who burst on the scene with a huge debut against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7.
Paschal was a game-changer for the Lions’ defensive front, and made a statement about where he could be trending in the future with a big day on the field. After being forced to wait, it felt good to get back on the field and make some plays.
Speaking to DetroitLions.com reporter Dannie Rogers, Paschal talked about how he felt being able to come back. As he said, it was an exciting moment where there was a lot of emotion.
“Tt was a lot of emotions. I was happy. Joyful. It felt good to be back out there with the guys and I was trying to control everything because you don’t want to get too excited too early so you just get ready for that first play and then after the first play, I was in it. Everything just went smooth,” he said.
The reason things went smooth? As Paschal revealed in the interview, he was able to watch the game for the first few weeks of his career while out injured instead of be forced to play it. That ability to understand may have bought him some critical time to learn ahead of playing the game.
“I would be in a box watching the game and things of that sort, so being in a box you really see how fast the game is,” Paschal admitted. “You get to go in the film room and learn from the vets and things of that sort and watching film and all of that good stuff so I just felt like I learned to the mistakes that some vets make and some other players made. I got to learn from those and then the good things. There’s a lot of good things that the vets have taught us. That’s what I got to carry into my game as well.”
Paschal’s point is a good one. Sometimes, it can take players a while to adjust to game speed and understand what to do in the league. As he was healing, perhaps Paschal took time to get that done in order to help himself get ready when he did play.
Had he started sooner, it’s possible Paschal may not have been as ready for the rigors of the league. With this in mind, it’s fair to say the injury may have been a blessing in disguise to set Paschal up with a chance to stick
Paschal’s Big Debut Impressive for Lions
Paschal was a surprise second-round selection of the Lions during the draft, and while many wondered why the team rolled the dice on another lineman, many understood given Paschal’s sneaky talent.
They pointed to his ability to set the edge and show up as not only a willing pass rusher but a beast in run defense. Unfortunately for Paschal, an untimely sports hernia stunted the start of his Detroit career and cost him the first half of the season.
Activated in Dallas, Paschal wasted no time proving how he could change the trajectory of the Detroit defense himself. Active on the edge, Paschal helped string out multiple run plays. He also helped others look active including fellow rookie Aidan Hutchinson.
The Detroit Lions moved Aidan Hutchinson to Rush Edge with Josh Paschal stepping in as the Base End.
The move has worked wonders, with Hutchinson recording his 2nd sack of the day. #OnePride
Paschal would only finish with two tackles, but it was easy to see the impact he made on the field and how positive it was. With that in mind, he may indeed change Detroit’s defense in the second half if he can stay healthy.
A key for the Lions will be good defensive line play, and the addition of Paschal could prove to be huge the rest of the way. He will continue to learn, but a solid debut without much time to sharpen in camp or the preseason shows why hope should be so high.
Paschal Not Feeling Pressure to Perform With Lions
Another reason to be excited about Paschal? He has showed off all of these traits after having a lack of experience and preparation caused by his long stint to start the year on injured reserve.
With this in mind, some in the fanbase could say that Paschal is under fire to perform right away. The frustrations of the health of defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike might make this so, but even such, Paschal is smart enough not to pay attention to any of that.
“I wouldn’t say it was a lot of pressure because for me, I know that I was brought here to make plays. They were not going to just draft me just to draft me, they expect something out of it so I just wanted to go out there and fly around,” he said. “Plays will come. You just got to be able to play your technique and do everything right in order to make a play.”
Armed with some confidence after a good start and with some time to catch his breath, Paschal seems to be trending in the right direction for the Lions. That’s great news for their very needy defense.