As part of our coverage leading up to the 2015 NFL Draft we will provide profiles of 200 prospects, including what the scouts around the league are saying and video interviews with each player.
Paul Dawson (ILB), TCU
6’0” | 235 lbs.
2014 stats:
136 tackles, 20 for a loss, 6 sacks, 4 INT, 2 forced fumbles
Selection:
3rd round, No. 99 overall (Cincinnati Bengals)
NFL
What scouts are saying:
"Outrageously productive linebacker with a nose for the ball. Dawson averages a tackle every 5.3 snaps and either caused or recovered a total of 8 turnovers during the 2014 season. Evaluators understand that Dawson has been a handful while at TCU and that will turn some teams off to him completely. Dawson can play inside in a 2-gap scheme but is a natural fit at 4-3 WILL." - Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
"Relies on his agility rather than mass or strength to take on and shed blocks in the hole. Rarely extends his arms to keep blockers away, instead dancing laterally to slip by. In doing so, Dawson takes risky angles, at times, leaving cutback opportunities and the defense vulnerable. Surrounded by awful lot of speed at TCU and played in a relatively simple see-the-ball, get-the-ball scheme. Comes with typical JUCO questions about his maturity and ability to handle a complicated playbook." - Rob Rang, CBSSports.com