Chris Paul Jr., Mississippi Football News: Draft Scout Player News

08/15/22 - ILB Chris Paul Jr., rJr/2026, Mississippi

A prime candidate to take on reps behind Arkansas' vets is Chris "Pooh" Paul, a redshirt freshman from Cordele, Ga., who stands 6-1 and 232 pounds. He appeared in four games last season, including the Outback Bowl victory over Penn State and home finale against Missouri. Paul enters 2022 with one career tackle to his credit, but all indications are that he can be an essential helping hand. "Chris Paul's ceiling is extremely high - extremely high," Scherer said. "He's a very, very, very good football player. Chris Paul, it's all about maturity with him. It's all about maturity, being disciplined and doing things right when you're supposed to do them. "He's gradually getting there. With him, it's not a mental thing at all. It's a mental toughness thing, the play-after-play, 'Can I refocus and not worry about what happened the last play? Maybe I did something wrong. Who cares? It doesn't matter anymore.' "It's the maturity that when Chris Paul develops that on a consistent basis, he's getting better."

Scherer said Paul was a sponge in meeting rooms and on the practice field when around Grant Morgan, Hayden Henry and Pool. Paul concurred, adding he learned valuable lessons, tips and tricks by simply being attentive behind the scenes. The strides he made last season led to improved confidence in the spring. And that in turn has placed him in a position to have an opportunity to produce. "Chris being able to sit in the back of that room and watch those three guys, he might come up here and say I had something to do with it," Scherer said. "I had nothing to do with it. He sat there and watched what those guys do and tried to emulate it. - Northwest Arkansas Times

rJr/2026