On Saturday, just a few months after he announced he would give American football a try, British Olympian Lawrence Okoye signed with the 49ers.
Okoye finished 12th in the discus at the London Olympics last summer before signing up for a regional draft combine in Atlanta. He's also delaying law school to pursue an NFL career. Sports Xchange's Derek Harper describes how things unfolded from there:
"Okoye blew up the workout, was invited to another regional combine in Dallas, vaulted up draft boards in recent weeks despite having never played a down of football but ultimately went undrafted. He landed in a good spot with the 49ers, who have a loaded roster and spent several of their 11 draft picks on boom-or-bust type prospects."
49ers coach John Harbaugh called Okoye an "Adonis" and admitted that "inadequate … was my first impression standing next to him."
Judge for yourself:
Brilliant! British record holder in discus RT @okoye I am now officially a #49er! twitter.com/Okoye/status/3…
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) April 30, 2013
"I am blessed with abilities, and I want to make the best of them," Okoye told NFLDraftScout.com last week. "I have this opportunity to play football now, so I will address it now. There is time for the discus. There is time for college and the law. I have many goals and only one life. I want to pursue my goals, my dreams."