Ourlads' Profile:
2025 Guide: What Ourlads’ NFL Scouting Services said about CHRIS PAUL JR.:
Mississippi | Hometown: Cordele, GA | HT: 6007 | WT: 222 | 40 time: 4.63 | Hand: 0938 | Arm: 3012 | Wing: 7614
Two year starter counting one at Arkansas. Transferred from Arkansas at the end of the 2023 season after four years there. Second team All-SEC, consensus second team All-America and Butkus Award finalist in 2024. Has decent size for the position with a strong upper body. Patient with initial read he used a downhill shuffle working inside gaps. Once he “sees it” he has a quick trigger. Shoots his hands into a blocker creating separation and ball side leverage. Solid ability to get through or outrun blocks working to the alley. Inside run fits are normally precise and he can meet a ball carrier on the line. Excellent short area change of direction, he quickly adjusts to a ball carrier’s cuts. Shows sideline to sideline range with acceleration to tackle opportunities. Solid scrape off-tackle he takes the right angle to square up on ball carriers in the alley. Flashes explosiveness bringing the wood on tackles in pursuit. Has been effective on inside blitzes with timing to hit the gap on the snap. Can get through backs in pass protection with quick hand swipes. In coverage he’s a skilled zone defender with the ability to flip his hips working the throwing lane along with twitch to react with the ball in the air. Reads the delivery key and shows ball skills and hands for interceptions. Shows enough speed and agility for man coverage but lacks consistent eye discipline to react rather than anticipate route breaks. Occasionally gets lost on multiple routes in zone coverage. At times he loses leverage on blocks taking a bad angle. Knee bend is somewhat inconsistent taking on blocks. Has been productive and improved during the season. He’s not a finished product but has the upside of a three down Will linebacker.
2024 Stats: 88 T, 11 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 4 PBU, 9 QBH, 1 INT. OSR:26/35. 10-1.56. Draft projection: 2nd/3rd round