British Olympic discus thrower Lawrence Okoye has admitted that he faces a lot of hard work in order to be able to complete as a professional NFL player having been signed by the San Francisco 49ers.

The 21-year-old has likened the start of his American Football career to when he first began throwing the discus at the age of 18.

"I had to work really hard to become good at it," he told the San Jose Mercury News. "It's going to be the same path in this sport.

"When I start out, I'm not going to be as good as everybody else. I'm going to look out of place, that's for sure.

"However, with some work and with time and effort, I know I can catch up and hopefully become a dominant player in the league."

Okoye signed for the 49ers as an undrafted free agent.