2025 NFL Draft Review Part Five – Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul

Introduction

After the Rams selected Ty Hamilton with the 148th pick they were now left with three picks in the draft: 201, 202 and 242. So far, the Rams had drafted a tight end, edge rusher, running back and a defensive tackle so many fans were calling for the Rams to take a corner, wide receiver and a linebacker. Luckily for them, the Rams were listening.

The Rams hadn’t drafted a middle linebacker since Ernest Jones in 2021 who recently signed a multi-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks. They have moved on by relying on a number of undrafted free agents like Omar Speights, Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom who has now joined the Carolina Panthers after his contract expired for the Rams. They did spend money on the position in free agency, acquiring yet another UDFA in Nate Landman – a reliable tackler who excels in stopping the run.

However, the Rams weren’t satisfied with the room as it was, and they noticed an impressive player starting to fall in the draft. The problem, once again, was that the Rams had quite a big gap between their picks (148 to 201). So, it was to no one’s surprise that the Rams continued their aggressive streak by trading up to the end of the 5th round by striking a deal with the Minnesota Vikings. They gave up picks 201 and 202 to move up to pick 172 which was the 36th pick of the 5th round.

At this point in the draft, you won’t really see many trades that are massive overpays as there aren’t many picks left in the current year of the draft. For this trade, I think it’s pretty even on both sides, the Vikings recoup more picks after starting the draft with the lowest number of picks in the draft and the Rams trade up for a prospect they really like who has fallen down the draft.

Trade up grade: B+

Rams select Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul at 172

Pooh Paul is an off-ball linebacker out of Ole Miss, who happened to have the highest number of draftees in one class in their entire history. The name ‘Pooh’ came from his parents who also had the nickname when they were younger, and it became infamous with Chris when his mother was pictured holding up a sign of Winnie the Pooh with Chris’ face on it when he scored a touchdown in a game. 

Pooh transferred from Arkansas at the end of the 2023 season and just exploded on to the scene with his new team. So much so, he was a finalist for the 2024 Butkus award which is given to the best linebacker in the whole of college football for that season. 

This propelled him up draft boards across the country – PFF having him 83rd on their big board, 80th for PFN and Dane Brugler of the Athletic projected him to go in the 3rd or 4th round. The Rams ended up selecting Paul with the 172nd pick which shows the unbelievable value they managed to get with the trade up.

He racked up very impressive numbers in his lone season with the Rebels, totalling 88 tackles, 11 of which for a loss, 3.5 sacks and 4 PBU’s (pass breakups). This shows that he can really do all aspects that are required for a middle linebacker: pass coverage, run defence and pass rushing. In fact, he was the only Power-4 linebacker to produce PFF grades of 78 or above in all three aspects of his game, proving his ability to be a quality all-round linebacker. On top of that, he earned an overall PFF grade of 87.2 which ranked 2nd in the whole draft class among linebackers.

Although he is good at all three aspects, he excels in pass coverage. Quite incredibly, Paul never gave up a touchdown in any of his 665 coverage snaps in his college career. To not give up a single touchdown, is quite some feat, and just goes to show how impressive he is in coverage. He’s got such incredible range that he can cover every blade of grass on the field shadowing receivers and getting to them before they can break free and earn extra yards. He makes it look so seamless when going sideline to sideline, especially considering he had a pretty average 4.63 second 40-yard dash and actually had the second worst 10 yard split out of all linebackers to run at the combine.

His play speed is certainly a lot quicker than his testing speed, which is mainly due to his footballing IQ and instincts. Paul has played football since he was a toddler, being coached by his dad, Chris Sr, who played semi-professional football himself. Chris Sr helped teach Pooh the fundamentals of football from a very early age and he hasn’t looked back since, competing in football games and tournaments throughout his childhood. All this experience from an early age, alongside the guidance his dad could offer him, helped him develop a very impressive football IQ and natural instincts for the game to help him be in the right position all the time.

It wasn’t just his instincts and IQ that helped make up for his mediocre burst and speed though - his pure effort and competitiveness were always very clear to see on every single play he was a part of. Even if he wasn’t the quickest or closest defender to the play, he did everything in his power to urge himself there and make that play for his team no matter what. Paul was never scared to take on any challenge and had a never-ending motor which meant he never gave up on plays or dropped his effort level from 100%.

This can also be attributed to his childhood as he grew up with 7 siblings. Coming from a football family, he generated a fiery competitiveness while also maintaining a love for the game and having fun while battling against his siblings for the renowned title of best child at football for their dad.

It wasn’t just football that he grew up with though, as he was a very good basketball player throughout college and in his younger years. Playing multiple sports growing up does have a direct correlation to success in the NFL as players can adapt to different situations and have a wider range of skills whether that be physical or mental traits. It also helps them be a part of different teams and see the difference that culture, camaraderie and leadership can make on both the enjoyment and performance of a team. 

During his whole career, in all the sports teams that he was involved with, he was always described as an inspirational teammate that always lifted up his teammates both on and off the field. He has a bright, infectious energy that just brings your energy up whenever you see him bouncing around with a smile on his face. Matching such a great personality with his level of competitiveness and toughness, is a recipe for success. Puka Nacua has shown that he can be an incredible character off the field and then turn it on once he steps on to the field and he hasn’t looked back since being drafted by the Rams, so Paul will be hoping to follow in his footsteps and bring his own personality into the NFL and the Rams locker room.

Other than the lack of top-end speed, the only other concern about Paul was his lack of length and mass. He measured in just short of 6”1 and 222 lbs, which meant he was on the smaller side of linebackers in this draft class. The main problem caused by his lack of size occurs when he has to beat offensive linemen to the play. In both the run game and when blitzing, he will have to get past much larger offensive linemen trying to keep him at bay. In college, he got away with it as he was able to completely elude blockers and still be in position to make the play without having to go face to face or fight against blockers.

However, it’s a completely different challenge in the NFL as offensive linemen are much more agile and aware of what’s going on around them, so Paul may struggle to maintain this way of getting to the ball. His lack of length means that he struggles to fight blockers if they do manage to get attached to him and his lack of mass means that he may get pushed back or manhandled by much larger offensive linemen who have the agility to get in front of him. The good news for Paul is that Omar Speights is great at taking on blocks and making plays in the run game, so Paul will have more responsibility in the passing game while also offering back up to Speights who broke out last year for the Rams and projects to be ILB1 this season.

Draft pick grade: A+

Conclusion

I think this might be my favourite selection the Rams made in the entire draft as it offers huge value, while also addressing a huge need on the Rams roster. Paul is just a great all-round linebacker that is the perfect compliment to Omar Speights and offers an upgrade over Troy Reeder and Nate Landman. Furthermore, the fact that the Rams were able to grab him at the end of the 5th round is great value as he was expected to go much earlier, and the Rams will hope that they’ve managed to find yet another late round gem that can contribute to the organisations success for many years to come.

For me, it’s not just the player that is impressive, but the person. All the Rams reporters claimed to have loved talking to him in interviews already and said he is such a bundle of energy that he instantly makes you root for him in any situation. He will fit in to the Rams locker room perfectly, adding to its impressive young core that could help propel the Rams to the playoffs and more this season.

I can see Pooh making an instant impact both on and off the field for the Rams, and becoming a firm fan favourite on the Rams defence for a number of years.