2022 NFL DRAFT PROSPECT REPORT
- Name: Joshua Paschal
- Position: Edge Rusher
- School: Kentucky
- Height: 6'3"
- Weight: 268lbs
Film Watched: Georgia 2021, South Carolina 2021, Florida 2021, Vanderbilt 2021
Pro's:
- Rocked up defensive lineman with NFL edge size
- Plays with a fearless and dominant attitude
- Quick out of his stance and springs into attack mode
- Excellent core strength throughout his frame; serious sand in his pants to anchor versus the run
- Blows blockers off the ball with a violent first strike, and dominates hand battle through contact
- Plays at full extension and uses the power at the end of his length to stay free of blocks
- Bullrush is a force to be reckoned with
- High character prospect who overcame skin cancer to become a three-time captain for Kentucky
- Versatile – aligned at every conceivable position for the Wildcats over the past five years
Josh Paschal is a DE prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 9.47 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 77 out of 1428 DE from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/HksY0qVtqf #RAS pic.twitter.com/HkfvsrKIY1
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 25, 2022
Con's:
- Lacks some fluidity; can slip inside from his bullrush, but won’t test blocks with changes in direction
- Gets more pressure on inside moves; short on speed, bend and dip to round the edge consistently
- Want to see better play diagnosis against the run and be more wary of angled blocks vs zone
- Can play out of control, lose his gap integrity or have blockers use his momentum against him
- Had a serious down year in 2020, and questions will be raised about his consistency
The Verdict:
“A do-it-all defensive lineman at Kentucky, Joshua Paschal was a valued team leader, with his work effort and mindset praised by the Wildcat coaching staff. He leads by example on the field, going full tilt on every play and being an effective tone setter against both the run and pass on this defense. Projecting where Paschal fits best in the NFL is tricky; he doesn’t quite have the elite quicks or agility to be a permanent outside rusher, and probably lacks a little size to ply his trade predominantly on the interior. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing - calling him a tweener is unfair, because he’s produced at every role asked of him. He’ll appeal to all schemes looking for an immediate rotational piece that can step in at different positions on different packages and not let you down. He has future starter potential.”
Simon Carroll
Head Of NFL Draft Content
NFL COMPARISON: CAM SAMPLE
PREDICTION: 4TH ROUND PICK
5/5