NFL Draft
2/3/25
6 min read
Chris Paul Jr. 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Ole Miss Rebels LB
Height: 6007 (verified)
Weight: 224lbs (verified)
Year: Redshirt Junior
Pro Comparison: David Long Jr.
Scouting Overview
Ole Miss Rebels linebacker Chris Paul Jr. is a hot-motored linebacker who illustrates great energy on the field. He’s not the biggest, most powerful, or the most dynamic, but he’s been a reliable tackler and is not afraid to punch above his weight class with fitting gaps with his pads.
His 2024 campaign was comfortably the best of his four-year college career. He showcased scrape and fit ability as a second-level defender and maximized his opportunities on passing downs. Due to his stature and processing consistency, there are some questions about how his game will transition to the NFL, but Paul Jr. is a productive player who has flashed every down ability worth investing in.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- He is a good athlete who offers coverage with his zone drops
- Has shown the ability to use his leverage to his advantage as a thud linebacker, fitting and squeezing a gap
- Has good short area change of direction ability to flash and react off cuts from the back
Negatives
- Limited wingspan can influence his tackle radius and decrease the margin for error on approach
- Undersized frame can face challenges by power ball carriers to ensure no added yardage is conceded
- Struggles to negotiate blocks in close-quarters combat
Background
Paul Jr. is from Cordele, GA, and played high school football for Crisp County HS as a two-way player at RB and LB. Paul Jr. was rated as a consensus 3-star recruit who garnered interest from programs like Tennessee, Louisville, and Nebraska.
He chose to enroll at Arkansas over these schools and went on to appear in four games as a true freshman in 2021 before redshirting and maintaining his year of eligibility. Paul Jr. would see action in every game in 2022, earning Freshman All-SEC honors while posting two starts in the final two games of the season.
Paul Jr. would play one additional season at Arkansas before entering the transfer portal—he finished his Arkansas career with 28 games played and 11 starts. Rated as a 4-star transfer (247 Sports), Paul Jr. committed to Ole Miss for the 2024 season. He enjoyed a monster season, earning Second-Team All-SEC honors, Third-Team All-American honors, and recognition as a Butkus Award Finalist.
Paul Jr. declared after the 2024 season, foregoing his final year of eligibility. He was invited to play in the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl.
Tale Of The Tape
Paul Jr. is a smaller stack linebacker who illustrates very likable ability as a pursuit defender. He’s a true stack defender at the NFL level and failed to collect more than 92 snaps in any other alignment across the entirety of his four-year career between Arkansas and Ole Miss.
Paul Jr. has showcased the ability to play mugged up into gaps. He adds value in that regard, but this is not the kind of talent who is going to shine with a litany of alignments, and his body type is generally restrictive to playing up on the line of scrimmage or walking overtop of tight ends.
As a run defender, he showcases good range laterally and has a number of instances of scraping over the top of the front as the backside linebacker and still fitting the back as they turn up into a cutback lane. When Paul Jr. challenges ball carriers square, he is capable of some stout pop and will illustrate some strong form tackles. However, his overall tackle radius is not a great strength.
Paul Jr. has short arms and a compact frame, leaving him with less margin for error in challenging ball carriers and placing greater emphasis on his approach to first contact. Without good discipline and control, he will overrun or play himself out of position.
These issues arise in close quarters and between the tackle runs, too. Paul Jr. is actually quite good when deciding to plug a gap and spill the run. However, when needing to stack blocks or deconstruct an opponent’s frame in order to make the play himself in the box, Paul Jr. lacks the upper-body power and extension ability to free his frame and uncover. Playing in a front that offers protection from the offensive line climbing unimpeded into his lap will be an important variable for Paul Jr. if he’s going to have success as an NFL starter.
Paul Jr. can be suckered and pulled out of leverage positions with misdirection plays or when forced to try to read the action through a mass of bodies. He can be overly eager to press a gap, and patient backs can manipulate his position.
In the passing game, Paul Jr. showcases good athleticism to play in space. His low center of gravity allows him to make sudden angle changes and course corrections if a route or target is developing in his vicinity. Paul Jr. lacks the influence with his wingspan to really force pinpoint accuracy or layered throws; however, his gravitational pull as a zone defender playing in the middle of the field is modest.
However, he’s done quite well with man-to-man assignments. He’s effective with his initial angles to pick up routes out of the backfield and showcases the speed to stay with and plaster backs on routes that carry up the sideline.
In addition to his man-coverage ability, Paul Jr. was an impactful pressure player in 2024. He did well to time his second-level pressure opportunities and come screaming through gaps unblocked to force pressure and disrupt timing. This is an element of his game that can be replicated consistently.
Paul Jr., as a developmental talent, may need special teams to afford him playing opportunities early in his career. He’s logged more than 300 career snaps on special teams, including 132 on kickoff coverage and 61 on punt return.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Paul Jr. projects as a potential developmental linebacker who should be given opportunities to play special teams and boost his value to an NFL team while serving as a depth player.
Special teams will be a major key to his game-day availability and rosterability across his first few years of service.
Grade: 71.50/100.00, Fifth Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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