NFL Draft
1/24/25
9 min read
How a Nickname And Family Turned Chris Paul Jr. Into One of 2025 NFL Draft's Top Linebackers
Chris Paul Jr. isn't what you'd expect from a future tough, hard-nosed NFL linebacker.
The Ole Miss Rebels linebacker was a second-team All-SEC selection and a first-team All-American by USA Today. But off the field, the 22-year-old is an authentic prospect in touch with an infectious personality.
That's not possible without his family.
Paul has never been able to escape the nickname "Pooh," which his family gave him as a kid. No one outside of his family knew the nickname until a travel football game when he was 11 or 12 years old. After snagging an interception and returning it for a touchdown, Paul looked up into the stands, where he saw his entire family with a 3D printout of his face and matching jackets, screaming, "That's my Pooh!"
The nickname stuck, mostly because "Pooh" couldn't run and hide behind his dad, Chris Paul Sr., who was his coach at the time.
"My friends started picking on me for like two weeks straight," Paul told The 33rd Team. "As I got older, the nickname started growing on me, and now everyone refers to me as Pooh."
That's the kind of treatment that Paul received throughout his childhood as the first-born son with six older sisters and a younger brother. It's not surprising that Pooh was picked on by all of his sisters, especially if he was in the shower for too long, but they shaped him to become the man and player that he is today.
"My sisters really helped mold me into the man I am today by showing me not to be afraid to express feelings towards anyone," Paul said. "And to just never be shameful of who I am and to just be myself. Even when I go home, they're always making sure to tell me to keep being myself. They may have ganged up on me and my little brother growing up, but they still taught us lessons in the end."
For a young man who is so in tune with his emotions and comes from such a tight-knit family, Paul has to flip a switch when he's on the field. His aggressiveness and tenacity come out once the pads are on, which is a big reason why he finished the 2024 season with 86 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.
Make that back to back sacks for Pooh 🦈🦈 pic.twitter.com/47aVxh7z9R
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 1, 2024
Once the adrenaline starts pumping and the crowd starts getting into it, Paul feels like that's when he becomes a different person.
"On the field, it's just a different feeling of excitement because of the fans," Paul said. "That adrenaline pumping, everybody's hype, it's just something about on that field that switches in me."
Being surrounded by such a large family has instilled in Paul a desire for strong bonds with teammates. He values these bonds and is intentional about seeking them out, even when he transferred to Ole Miss this past season after spending three years at Arkansas.
"I just like building those bridges with people," Paul said. "I like forging those bonds with other people, especially with others from outside of where I came from, so I can learn their ways and what they're about."
The coaching staff made Paul feel at home, with defensive coordinator Pete Golding intentionally pursuing Pooh in the transfer portal. He FaceTimed Paul and his family at the same time every day, showing the program's interest while respecting the family's time.
Paul's decision to transfer to Oxford worked out. While it was difficult for him to leave his former teammates, Paul says that he felt truly happy with the Rebels and credits Golding and Lane Kiffin with making the transition as easy as possible.
After establishing deep bonds with his former teammates, Paul had to start again as a transfer at Ole Miss. The decision to leave his brothers with the Razorbacks wasn't an easy one, and while he still keeps in touch with plenty of his old teammates, Paul forged new connections in Oxford.
"Even when we're down, I continue to play my tail off," Paul said. "I'm really just someone with a passion for the game and willing to push through to do whatever it takes."
Chris Paul Jr.
The Rebels defense became a tight-knit unit last season, and Paul's connection with other players was rooted in the fact that so many of them had transferred to a new program during the offseason. Princely Umanmielen, Walter Nolen, Trey Amos, and others were first-year transfers on that defense, but Paul says that the unit was one of the closest groups he's ever been around.
For a team often highlighted by an electric offense led by Kiffin and Jaxson Dart, it was that defense that helped carry the Rebels at times in 2024. They allowed just 14.4 points per game, which was the second-lowest scoring defense in the country, behind only the national champion Buckeyes.
SCOOP N' SCORE 🍨@jared_ivey1595 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/LbrPVcsCrB
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 2, 2024
Paul's main focus when transferring was to win football games, and he felt like Ole Miss was the right place, even though it was a rival school within the SEC. Within weeks, Paul felt like he had formed some of the strongest bonds he'd ever had with teammates.
"The thing that put us over the edge was the bond that we had with each other," Paul said. "We expected a lot from each other because we knew how much work we were all putting in. We weren't afraid to have hard conversations with each other to get each other back on track.
Paul explained that the defense wasn't afraid of holding each other accountable, calling each other out for taking days off in practice. At the same time, those same players, including himself, would lift each other up on good days.
"The best teams are the player-led teams, in my opinion," Paul said. "It's different when you hear from your peers that you took the day off. If they tell you that, it's going to hit harder than a coach saying something to you."
That accountability and leadership show up on the field, with Paul taking pride in being a field-general linebacker. He takes pride in rallying his defense and getting the defense aligned correctly based on pre-snap alignment and motion.
Paul also takes pride in his energy and motor.
"Even when we're down, I continue to play my tail off," Paul said. "I'm really just someone with a passion for the game and willing to push through to do whatever it takes."
Scouts are starting to pay attention to Paul, who continues to generate buzz as draft experts start to spend more time dissecting his tape. ESPN's Jordan Reid has been keeping a close eye on Paul since before he transferred to Ole Miss.
"[Paul is] one player that I've been really impressed with, even dating back to his time at Arkansas," Reid told The 33rd Team." He's undersized, but he has all of the prerequisites that I am looking for in the position."
The tape shows that Paul may be one of the best tacklers at any position in this class. While he's not the biggest linebacker prospect at 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, he rarely whiffs on his tackle attempts, coming in with intensity and technique to bring ball carriers down.
In fact, Pro Football Focus charted him with an impressive missed tackle rate of just 4.5 percent.
Chris Paul Jr. (Ole Miss LB #11) consistently comes into tackles with low pad level, good technique, and leg drive to bring ball carriers down. pic.twitter.com/zldnmyL739
— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) January 21, 2025
"I had an opportunity to live scout him against Wake Forest this year, and I thought that was one of his best games of the season," Reid said. "He's instinctive, physical, and very willing as a tackler."
One area where Paul is adamant about continuing to improve is his coverage ability. His numbers saw a big uptick on that front in 2024. He recorded his first career interception, four pass breakups, and a 92.5 passer rating when targeted.
"[Paul's] eyes seem to always be in the right spot, good feel for passing concepts in coverage, but the best part about his game is how urgent he plays," Reid said.
Great eyes here to read the QB and drift off of his drop to jump the route and almost come away with an INT. pic.twitter.com/5XRypYgyrc
— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) January 21, 2025
Still, Paul isn't satisfied and wants to keep improving in that area.
"One thing about me, I'm always hard on myself," Paul said. "That was something that I put a big emphasis on myself to improve on this season, and I feel like I did a solid job of doing so when put in those situations."
The work is just getting started for Paul as a draft prospect. The consensus draft board has him ranked 96th overall, but there's still plenty of time for him to start climbing up boards in the coming months. Reid has him ranked in his top five at the ILB position and mentions that he's someone he'll be closely monitoring at this year's Shrine Bowl.
He'll be one of the key prospects scouts will be monitoring at this year's event, which will also feature prospects, including QB Shedeur Sanders, Michigan's Kenneth Grant, and some exciting running backs like Tahj Brooks and Rocket Sanders.
It's a long process, but scouts and coaches will quickly fall in love with Paul's passion for the game and authentic personality as much as they'll enjoy his on-field play.
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