Bills Mafia might have gotten a massive hint at the NFL Scouting Combine as to who Buffalo will be drafting
Reports are starting to come out of Indianapolis about formal meetings between players and teams, and Buffalo appears to be doing their homework on a player that's not a position many Bills fans have been discussing as a priority this offseason.Chris "Pooh" Paul Jr., a linebacker out of Ole Miss, apparently met extensively with the […]
Reports are starting to come out of Indianapolis about formal meetings between players and teams, and Buffalo appears to be doing their homework on a player that's not a position many Bills fans have been discussing as a priority this offseason.
Chris "Pooh" Paul Jr., a linebacker out of Ole Miss, apparently met extensively with the Buffalo Bills. Not only that, but their social media team was apparently paying very close attention while Paul was on the podium at the Combine.
Why would Buffalo be doing their work on a linebacker that has a potential to go in the top-100 picks with good testing? It might be yet another sign of the defensive philosophy shift that they seem to be undertaking this offseason.
In the playoffs, we saw Buffalo shift much more heavily to this base 4-3 defense, witch a much higher emphasis on man coverage. If Buffalo is planning on running more 4-3 going forward, perhaps the Bills think they need more linebacker in the room with the possibility to grow. Terrel Bernard is the locked in middle linebacker, with Matt Milano still the starting Will. Dorian Williams filled in nicely last season in Milano's place, but behind those three, the linebacker group isn't very inspiring.
Paul is an interesting prospect. According to A to Z's Ryan Roberts, Paul's stature is the biggest knock on his profile.
"The problem for Paul is he's very small for NFL standards. [At the Senior Bowl], he weighed in at just 224 pounds, which would put him in the 4th percentile for the linebacker position since 1999. Paul also measured with just 30 1/8 inch arms, and that would be the smallest of any linebacker drafted in that time frame. The good news is that his speed does make up for that lack of range in terms of tackle radius, but it will be something to monitor closely," Roberts said.
His frame is small, but Paul is a baller. Holding a 78.2 coverage grade, 84.6 run defense grade, and 84.3 pass rush grade according to PFF, Paul demonstrated a ton of athleticism and versatility. He plays with great instincts and is an absolute missile to the ball, boasting the fourth-best missed tackle rate at the linebacker position in all of college football this season at only 4.5%.
The Bills are clearly doing their homework on the athletic and consistent linebacker. Athleticism and consistency are two traits that go a long ways with the Bills, so it shouldn't come as much surprise that Paul has at least piqued their interest. Keep an eye on Paul during the athletic testing and on-field workouts this week as a name that the Bills are paying attention to.
Follow along all year for more Buffalo Bills coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, and make sure to follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.
