[Elvis]

[Elvis]

LB7 Chris Paul Jr. Ole Miss, 4JR

HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL BIRTHDAY AGE HT WT NUM
Cordele, GA Crisp County Nov 04, 2002 22.47 6007 222 #11

BACKGROUND: Chris "Pooh" Paul Jr., one of eight children (six older sisters, one younger brother), was born and raised in Cordele, Ga., with his parents (Chris Sr. and Velieka). His father, who served in the Navy for six years, played high school football for Crisp County and semi-pro for Valdosta in 1998. Starting at age 7, Paul was coached by his father throughout pee wee, youth football and high school. He played linebacker and
running back while also starring in other sports, including baseball. Paul's fiancée (Nya Stewart) played basketball at Arkansas Fort-Smith (2020-23) and now serves as an assistant coach. Their daughter (Laya) was born in May 2024. Paul enrolled at Crisp County High, where he played both ways as a linebacker and running back. He broke into the starting lineup as a freshman and earned second-team all-region honors. Paul helped Crisp County to the 2018 regional title as a sophomore and posted with 92 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. As a junior, he led the team to an 11-4 finish and a spot in the 2019 3A state championship game, finishing with 157 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. As a senior, Paul recorded 91 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one blocked punt, earning all-state defensive player of the year honors for the second straight year. He also accounted for 197 rushing yards, 192 receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns. Paul played shortstop on the Crisp County baseball team through his sophomore year and lettered in track. A three-star recruit, Paul was the 80th-ranked linebacker in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 72 recruit. After his sophomore season, he picked up his first scholarship offer from UCF (Jan. 2019). Shortly after, Paul added offers from Cincinnati, Michigan State, Nebraska, TCU and West Virginia. The summer before his senior year, Arkansas entered the mix and Paul jumped at the chance to play in the SEC. He was the 18th-ranked recruit in the Razorbacks' 2021 class. After three seasons in Fayetteville, Paul entered the transfer portal in December 2023. He received offers from dozens of programs, including Auburn, Florida State, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas A&M, but he quickly committed to Ole MIss after visiting the school. His fiancée, who was pregnant at the time, planned to have the baby in her hometown of Memphis — the proximity to Ole Miss made the decision even easier. After one season with the Rebels, Paul elected to skip Ole Miss' bowl game and his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. He accepted his invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl.

YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2021: (4/0) 1 0.5 0.0 0 0 0 Arkansas; redshirted; enrolled January 2021
2022: (13/2) 62 8.0 4.0 1 0 0 Arkansas; Freshman All-American; Freshman All-SEC
2023: (11/9) 74 6.5 2.0 0 1 0 Arkansas; missed one game (injury)
2024: (12/11) 88 11.0 3.5 0 5 1 Ole Miss; Third Team All-American; Second Team All-SEC; led team in tackles; enrolled January 2024
Total: (40/22) 225 26.0 9.5 1 6 1

HT WT HAND ARM WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP NOTES

COMBINE 6007 222 9 3/8 29 7/8 75 3/8 4.63 2.69 1.58 36 9'9" DNP DNP DNP No SS, three-cone, bench (injury during drills)

PRO DAY 6007 225 9 3/8 30 1/2 76 1/4 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 4.45 7.46 DNP

STRENGTHS:
● Twitched-up athlete who plays fast and physical
● Takes sharp, decisive angles and doesn't play unsure of himself
● Has range to make plays outside the numbers and logs more steps than everyone else on the field
● Sees through blocks when mirroring laterally to string out runs
● Fierce hands as tackler to finish the mission
● Green-dot defender for the Rebels
● Plays with relentless nature that you feel on each tape
● Quickly reaches depth in zone coverage and returns eyes to the quarterback
● Explosive blitzer who races through gaps before blocking scheme can react

WEAKNESSES:
● Lacks ideal length, mass and growth potential (not built to play in a phone booth)
● Shorter arms limit his take-on ability and leaves him engulfed by offensive linemen (and some tight ends)
● Doesn't always see blocks in peripherals
● Frenetic pace leaves him vulnerable to cutbacks
● Average drive-through power as tackler, which leaves him hugging/pulling to finish
● Gets to landmarks in coverage but needs to develop route anticipation to be more of a playmaker versus pass

SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Ole Miss, Paul played the "Mike" linebacker role in defensive coordinator Pete Golding's 4-2-5 base scheme. Though he was productive in his first three seasons at Arkansas, he played his best ball after transferring to Ole Miss — led the team in tackles in 2024 and benefitted from playing behind a defensive line full of future pros. A highly active, run-around linebacker, Paul is an easy linebacker to appreciate, because of his play speed, execution and competitive toughness (he always had the dirtiest jersey on each tape studied). His lack of inches stands out, but he doesn't try to be something he's not and compensates for his lack of take-on length by eluding blockers or attacking full-speed into contact. Overall, Paul won't be a fit for NFL teams that have strict size thresholds at the position, but his "all-out" play style will find a way to be productive at the next level. He should shine on special teams.

GRADE: 3rd-4th round

[RAMMAN76]

[Elvis]

[PARAM]

From Draft Buzz

Draft Profile: Bio
Born in Cordele, Georgia, Paul Jr. cut his teeth as a two-way playmaker at Crisp County High School, where he racked up an eye-popping 157 tackles as a junior while moonlighting as a running back. That versatility and natural athleticism caught the attention of several SEC programs, though he entered college as a relatively unheralded three-star recruit. After choosing Arkansas over Tennessee and Nebraska, Paul showed flashes of brilliance for the Razorbacks, earning Freshman All-SEC honors in 2022 with 62 tackles and 8 TFLs in his redshirt freshman campaign.

The transfer portal brought him to Ole Miss in 2024, where Paul Jr. truly exploded onto the national scene. Anchoring one of the most dominant defensive units in Rebels history, he led the team with 88 tackles (50 solo) while showcasing his versatility with 11.0 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, and consistent impact in coverage. His breakout season earned him First-Team All-America honors from USA Today and finalist consideration for the prestigious Butkus Award.

What stands out beyond the stats is how Paul Jr. elevated his game in the biggest moments. Against #2 Georgia, he registered 9 tackles and was a constant disruption in the run game.
Scouting Report: Strengths
Plus instincts and play recognition skills, quickly identifies blocking schemes and run fits with natural anticipation
Natural instincts in zone coverage with fluid hip transitions and exceptional awareness of route combinations developing behind him - shows advanced pattern matching ability
Nasty closing burst to the football carrier shows up consistently, bringing controlled violence through his tackles despite giving up size to bigger backs
Elite processing speed pre-snap, consistently getting the defense aligned and making coverage adjustments - true quarterback of the defense mentality
Exceptional change of direction skills allow him to navigate traffic smoothly, showing the ability to scrape and flow while maintaining proper leverage
Brings juice as a blitzer with the burst to shoot gaps and create havoc - collected 11 QB pressures in 2024 while rushing selectively
Special teams demon with over 300 career snaps in the third phase - shows up eager to mix it up in coverage units
Advanced route recognition skills in man coverage against backs and tight ends - mirrors with patience and stays in phase through stems

[actionjack]

He will start or will soon similar to Speights. Just needs to learn the defense.

[ramsman34]

Why did he drop? Measurables. Can he hold up at that size at ILB?? It’s been done before. Really depends on the quality of the DL in front of him. U think we’re pretty good in that dept. teams with big, bad OLs will be the test. Philly being enemy #1.

[PARAM]

Why did he drop? Measurables. Can he hold up at that size at ILB?? It’s been done before. Really depends on the quality of the DL in front of him. U think we’re pretty good in that dept. teams with big, bad OLs will be the test. Philly being enemy #1.

Sometimes speed is a better defense than bulk.

[actionjack]

Why did he drop? Measurables. Can he hold up at that size at ILB?? It’s been done before. Really depends on the quality of the DL in front of him. U think we’re pretty good in that dept. teams with big, bad OLs will be the test. Philly being enemy #1.

Yep measurables, same as Dolac. Love Chris Paul Jr instincts, sure tackler and has some pass rush ability too. I can see Shula doing delayed blitzes with him.