If the Lions have high hopes for Julian Okwara, Okwara has even higher hopes for the team.
The Notre Dame defensive end is here to help Detroit do something it hasn't done since 1957.
Asked what he'll bring to the Lions after they drafted him No. 67 overall Friday night, Okwara said, "They’re getting a relentless pass rusher, great defensive end, someone who wreaks havoc in the backfield. ... I’m a dominant player. I love to win games.
"I’m looking forward to bringing a championship to Detroit.”
Aim high, right?
A championship might be premature, but Okwara will make the Lions a better team in 2020. What he says is true -- he preys on quarterbacks. He comes with speed off the edge, something Detroit was lacking last season when it finished with the second fewest sacks in the NFL.
The poor play of the defensive line in 2019 led to a makeover this offseason. Several big names are gone. One that remains is the Lions' 2018 sack leader and the older brother of Julian, Romeo Okwara.
Now the two will hunt quarterbacks together.
“It’s awesome," said Okwara. "I’ve always dreamed about this. I’m pretty much speechless. I’m still kind of letting it marinate. Think about it tonight and probably will wake up tomorrow and really let it sit in.”
It's the ideal situation for Okwara. The rookie gets to learn the ropes from his older brother -- and he gets to live with him, too. Okwara suggested at the combine he'd shack up with Romeo if he wound up in Detroit, and he confirmed the plan Friday night.
“Oh yeah, 100 percent," he said. "It’s happening. I wasn’t joking. I’m looking forward to living a rent-free year."
If Okwara brings a championship to the Lions, he can live rent-free in Detroit for as long as he wants.