Name: Paul Dawson
College: TCU
Class: Senior
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 229
Background/Character | Leadership: 8 | Experience: 8 | Off-the-Field: 9 |
| Mental Capacity: 8 | Mental Toughness: 8 | Durability: 9 |
Two-year starter for TCU, proving to be highly productive and a hard worker. Spent time on special teams. Dawson was one of many emotional leaders on the TCU defense. No reported injuries or off the field issues in his career. Can play in a myriad of schemes with his combination of intelligence and athleticism.
Final Grade: 8.33
Athleticism | Balance: 8 | C.O.D: 8 | Explosiveness: 8 |
| Flexibility: 9 | Coordination: 8 | Body Type: 7 |
Dawson is an impressive athlete among a conference of good athletes. Even on his own defense, Dawson was easily recognizable. He doesn’t have great size and could stand to add some weight to his frame. He is an exceptional athlete in space, showing great balance and fluid hips in coverage.
Final Grade: 8
Overall | Football IQ: 8 | Tackling: 7 | Motor: 8 |
| Read/React: 8 | Play Strength: 7 | Consistency: 8 |
Dawson is a smart player that recognizes plays early and will attack without second thought. He plays hard, but will not always chase down the ball carrier from the weak side effectively. Good tackler but will dive at the feet and whiff when cleaning up. Standout player, but not an excellent one entering the NFL.
Final Grade: 7.66
Run Defense | Range: 8 | Pursuit: 8 | Body Positioning: 8 |
| In Traffic: 7 | Block Shedding: 6 | Hole Filling: 8 |
Although Dawson has been highly productive and he jumps off the screen while watching tape, he rarely has to shed blocks. He often avoids blocks by jumping around or using his plus agility. This won’t work in the NFL, and he needs to develop more jolting hand usage. He is a sideline to sideline player that can make tackles at or behind the LOS.
Final Grade: 7.5
Pass Defense | Man Pickup: 7 | Zone Drops: 7 | Ball Tracking: 6 |
| Hand Usage: 6 | Blitzing: 7 | Rush Moves: 6 |
He wasn't asked to do much in pass defense outside of occasional drop backs into zone and covering a slot receiver for a few snaps. He has very impressive fluidity, but that is almost necessary at his size. He will likely be put into more coverage situations in the NFL with his frame. Good delayed blitzer that can defeat running backs.
Final Grade: 6.5
| Player Comparison: | Christian Kirksey |
| Projected Draft Position: | 3rd Round |
| Best Scheme Fit: | 4-3 WLB or 3-4 WILB |
| Injury History: | None |
| Career Accolades: | First Team All-Big 12 |
| Career Stats: | 232 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 5 INTs |
Final Analysis
Paul Dawson is one of the faster risers during the early draft process with his combination of solid athleticism and standout plays near the line of scrimmage. In TCU’s 3-3-5 defense, he lined up in a strong side linebacker role where he was asked to play in coverage a little more often than the middle linebacker.
With Dawson’s limited height and length, the fluidity he showed in coverage is key to his success. Although he was very productive in the box, he mostly relied on his quickness and closing burst to get around second level blocks in the Big 12. That will not work quite as effectively at the next level, so a defense would be wise to use him as a 3-4 ILB or WLB in a 4-3.
Dawson should see action early as a special teams contributor and as a coverage linebacker on passing downs. His ability to play as an inside linebacker will likely be determined on his technical development. He's a great athlete; now he needs to round out the rest of his game.
Final Grade: 8.21 - 2nd round value