Josh Paschal Drafted by Detroit Lions with No. 46 Pick in Round Two

Josh Paschal is officially a Detroit Lion. The former Kentucky Wildcat was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the No. 46 overall pick.

Paschal is the third Kentucky defensive lineman picked in the last two NFL Drafts, following Quinton Bohanna (Round 6, No. 192, Dallas Cowboys) and Phil Hoskins (Round 7, No. 232, Carolina Panthers). He will join Dan Campbell’s squad alongside another former Wildcat, offensive guard Logan Stenberg. The 2020 fourth round pick is coming off a season-ending knee injury from last fall.

A former four-star recruit from the Washington DC metro, he’s the younger brother of another former Cat, TreVaughn Paschal. In 2021 Paschal became the first three-time team captain in Kentucky football history. An immediate impact player in 2017, he was sidelined for most of 2018 after he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in the preseason. In spite of the cancer diagnosis, he finished his career ranked third in UK history with 37 tackles for loss.

In his final season as a Wildcat he earned First Team All-SEC honors after finishing second in the league with 15.5 tackles for loss. Paschal was named Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year. Last season he recorded 53 tackles, 5.5 sacks, a team-high eight quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and a blocked kick that will live in Kentucky football lore forever.