Great Britain track and field star Lawrence Okoye, who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, has never played organized football at any level. This spring, he attended the Super Regional Combine at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas and became a fast-rising NFL prospect following his performance.
Okoye, who holds the all-time discus record for Great Britain, impressed with a 4.84 40-yard dash time and standout performances in other drills. The San Francisco 49ers saw Okoye's potential to make the transition to the NFL as a defensive end and signed him as an undrafted free agent.
"The thing that really impressed me was that he had the rugby background growing up and didn't start throwing the discus until he was 18 years old," says 49ers head coach JIM HARBAUGH.
"And then two years later he was throwing in the Olympics. So, you maybe start to put the pieces together and say, taking on football at this time in his life, I can see this guy doing it. I'm excited." Okoye played rugby as a teenager and was also an exemplary student who deferred his admission to Oxford University, where he plans to study law in the future. He wants to use his rugby experience and strong work ethic to help with his transition to football.
"I had to work really hard to become good at it," says Okoye. "It's going to be the same path in this sport. When I start out, I'm not going to be as good as everybody else. I'm going to look out of place, that's for sure. But with some work and with time and effort, I know I can catch up and hopefully become a dominant player in the league."
Okoye sees similarities in his development to those of Detroit Lions defensive end EZEKIEL ANSAH and Cincinnati Bengals defensive end MARGUS HUNT, who were both selected in the 2013 NFL Draft. Ansah played football for the first time as a walk-on at BYU, while Hunt earned a football scholarship at SMU after becoming a gold medalist in the shot put and discus at the 2006 World Junior Championships.
"These are examples of guys who are physical specimens and have put their mind to it," says Okoye. "Now teams are seeing their potential. If they can do it, I see no reason why I can't do the same thing."
NFL Football News & Analysis [...]
- Team-By-Team Look at the 2013 QBs in the AFC
- Team-By-Team Look at the 2013 QBs in the NFC
- EJ Manuel Gets Nod as Bills Starting Quarterback
- Texans Give Brian Cushing Six-Year Extension Worth $55.6M
- Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin Says Back Isaac Redman to Start
- Tom Brady Enjoyed Time with Tim Tebow
- Player Milestones: What to Look For in 2013
- Double-Threat Running Backs
- The NFL's Undrafted Stars
- High-Profile Small-School Stars in the NFL Today
- Joe Flacco: Calm and Cool
- Adrian Peterson: Rushing into the Record Books
- Big Play Excitement in the NFL
- Excitement Abounds as New Coaches Take Over NFL Teams
- The NFL's Big-Time Wide Receivers
- Megatron Makes History: Calvin Johnson Sets Receiving Record
- Tom Brady is Tom Terrific
- Cool Brees: QB Drew Brees Leads Saints
- Ravens & Broncos Kick Off NFL 2013 Season
- NFL 2013 Kickoff Weekend Notes
- NFL Strength of Schedule Team Rankings
- NFL 2013 Total Team Miles Traveled
- What to Look For in 2013
- NFL Ratchets Up the Excitement
- Remembering the Ravens Super Bowl XLVII Victory
- Super Bowl Victory Follow-Ups
- Winning Traditions in the NFL
- Quarterback Success in the NFL
- NFL Quarterbacks of the Future
- Offensive Tackles Protecting the Quarterback
- Spread Offense
- Good Running Backs Come in Pairs
- NFL Tight Ends on the Rise in 2013
- Exciting Plays in the Return Game
- Turnovers Key to Victory in the NFL
- Return to Sender
- Importance of the Ground Game
- Excelling on Third Down
- Fourth-and-One Situations
- The NFL's Sack Attack
- From Worst to First
- The Value of Football
- NFL Touchdown Streaks
- Peyton Manning and the NFL Record Books
- Aaron Rodgers Continues to Build His Legacy
- Young Quarterbacks on the Rise in 2013
- NFL Rookies Excelled in 2012
- Colin Kaepernick Off to an Outstanding Start
- Randall Cobb: Mr. Versatility
- Devin Hester: NFL Game-Changer
- New NFL Rules for 2013
- NFL Rules: A Constant Evolution
-
NFL Continues to Emphasize Player Health and Safety
- Thigh and Knee Pads Mandatory in 2013
- New York / New Jersey to Host First Super Bowl
- NFL Championship Weather
- Opening Day 1947: A Record 87 Points
- The 'Holy Roller' Game - Chargers vs Raiders - 1978
- NFL 2013: Best NFL Records, Past 10 Years
- NFL Football Still America's Favorite Sport By Far in 2013
- NFL to Play Two Regular-Season Games in London for First Time
- Bills Toronto Series Carries On
- 2013 NFL Draft Goes International
- Lawrence Okoye: From Discus to D-Line
- Best NFL Kickoff Weekend Performances, 1933-2012
- Best NFL Kickoff Weekend Performances, Past Ten Seasons
- Colin Kaepernick Tops NFL Jersey Sales
- Offseason Moves: Same Faces, New Places
- NFL 2013: Overtime Excitement
- Modified Sudden Death Overtime
- Jets Rookie Lineman Says He's Not a Radical Muslim
Article: Copyright ©, iHaveNet.com
Lawrence Okoye: From Discus to D-Line