SANTA CLARA — One practice into his football career, former British Olympic discus thrower Lawrence Okoye is excited to forge ahead in his improbable bid for a 49ers roster spot.

Okoye wasn't the only rookie making mistakes as their three-day minicamp got underway Friday. But he's the most internationally known.

"I got a couple calls wrong but it's all part of the learning process," said Okoye, a 6-foot-6, 305-pound defensive end. "As it went on, I got more and more comfortable.

"When we went up against the O-line, it got a bit more difficult but I adjusted. That's what's going to keep happening. I'm going to go up and down, up and down, as I carry on learning how to play this position, how to play this sport."

Okoye, 21, hasn't thrown a discus in four months. It's a sport he took up when he was 18, and two years later, he qualified for the finals of the London Olympics, only to place 12th.

Having grown fond of American football while watching it on television in his London flat, he impressed teams at pre-draft combines before signing with the 49ers last week.

"There's a lot of prep we have to do in the classroom before we get on the pitch — or the field, or whatever you guys call it," Okoye said. "I'm just trying to learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible. They're being great with me. They're not going to force feed me."


Okoye opted to play defense rather than offense largely because of his body type, a physique compared to "an Adonis" by coach Jim Harbaugh. Okoye also believed defensive end might be an easier position to learn, and he's excited to study under 49ers line coach Jim Tomsula, who coached nine years in the NFL's now-defunct Europe league.

"Coach Tomsula has been like, 'Take each minute as it comes. Just enjoy it. Don't worry, just work,' " Okoye added. "That's what I'm doing. I'm not worrying when I get things wrong because I'm going to get a lot of things wrong, more than today, more than tomorrow."
