Lawrence Okoye was wooed by several NFL franchises, but it turns out he couldn’t resist the advances of the San Francisco 49ers.
Coach Jim Harbaugh went as far to call the 21-year-old 'a beautiful man'– and the Olympic discus finalist appeared smitten while discussing his move to the NFC champions in free agency.
‘The 49ers are the best fit in the league for what I’m trying to do. They have the same vision as me. This could be a great success story,’ said Okoye from his current base in Macon, Georgia.
‘It’s amazing for me, I'm absolutely delighted how things have worked out.’ And while he would not discuss specifics of the deal, the Olympic discus finalist joins the Niners on a ‘long-term commitment’.
New path: Lawrence Okoye has signed for the San Francisco 49ers in free agency
He was in constant contact with the 49ers and other franchises during the draft, but admitted it was the pedigree and persistence of defensive line coach Jim Tomsula which proved decisive.
‘It's the team I felt wanted to do the most work with me,’ said Okoye, who is expected to play as a defensive end. Jim Tomsula has a great background in NFL Europe developing players without much background in the game.’
Despite never playing a down, Okoye impressed at the regional combine after opting to turn his back on the discus and pursue a long-term ambition of playing in the NFL.
And it was his performance in the subsequent Super Regional Combine in Dallas earlier this month which sent scouts into a frenzy.
Change of scenery: Okoye took part in the Olympic discus event at London 2012
Pedigree: San Francisco are one of the elite teams in the NFL having reached the Super Bowl last year
The 6ft 6in, 21½ stone Okoye was the pick of the bunch of the 23 DEs on show, running the 40-yard dash at 4.88sec and 4.78sec, leaping to the best jump from a standing position at 10ft 5in and finishing No 2 in the vertical jump with a leap of 35in.
His life has been a whirlwind since – he admitted to being on 16 flights so far this month on his Twitter page – encompassing training during the day and studying video tapes into the night.
But Okoye is aware that the hard work has only just begun.
‘It's going to be a baptism of fire but that's part of the process. I don't set limits on myself. If I said when I was 18 that I was going to be in an Olympic final in two years I don't think anyone would have said I was serious.'
Praise: Okoye impressed in the scouting combine and 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh called him 'a beautiful man'
NFL'S ENGLISH LEGION
Okoye joins Manchester-born Menelik Watson on the west coast of America after Watson was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the draft, while Crawley-born linebacker Tom Wort joined the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent.
He added: ‘I realise it's going to be a ridiculously tough, tough process. It's going to be a fight every day and I am aware of the big possibility of being on the practice squad for however long they see fit. If I make it early or late it doesn't matter as long as I make it.
‘I will have to work even harder than everyone else, I have a lot to catch up on. I know as much as I can without having played it but I am still an outsider looking in.
‘They have made it clear they are going to teach me everything from scratch. It's similar to my discus journey under (discus coach) John Hillier, learning how to hold it, how to release it from the fingers.’
New coach Harbaugh was so impressed with Okoye that he said: ‘He’s just an Adonis. Just a great physical specimen of a man. I can think of some other adjectives. Our Creator created a beautiful man.’ As well as Okoye’s physical attributes, it was his capacity to learn skills quickly which persuaded the younger Harbaugh brother to take a punt on his untried talent.
And time will tell if Okoye proves to be a gift from the heavens.