British Olympian Lawrence Okoye, who has never played a down of football but has been impressing scouts at regional combines this spring, is apparently working out with the Bears Monday for a spot on their D-line according to Dave Birkett.
“I really stood out because of my size, strength and speed,” Okoye told The Daily Mail last month after his first combine. “I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I was good [at the combine] – to the point that a lot of NFL clubs began talking to me.
Okoye, 21, 6-foot-6-inches and 285 pounds, finished twelfth in the discus in London and was planning to postpone his potential football career for one more Olympic cycle. But now he’s aiming full-speed toward the NFL.
He’s also worked out for San Francisco and New Orleans. And while he has no chance of being drafted (again, never played football) don’t be surprised if you see him in a uniform sometime next year. Especially after he ran a 4.78 seconds 40-yard-dash in Dallas a couple weeks ago.