TCU’s Paul Dawson ready to prove himself the right choice
Paul Dawson glances at his daughter and sees himself. Destiny, who turned 2 on Feb. 4, showers her daddy with kisses, which he uses as inspiration.
“That’s more love than anything. That’s my heart,” Dawson said Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “She looks just like me. So when I see her, I see me, and I want the best thing for her.”
The TCU linebacker enters the NFL playing for more than himself. He credits his daughter’s birth with helping him mature, and he insists scouts won’t have concerns about his character after they get to know him.
“I just had to come here and show them what type of person I was and prove everybody wrong,” he said.
Dawson’s play speaks for itself.
He led the Horned Frogs in tackles in 2013 as a junior despite not starting until Week 6 against Kansas. He finished the year with 91 tackles, including 10 for loss.
Dawson proved even more disruptive to opposing offenses in 2014, making 136 tackles, 20 for loss, with six sacks, four interceptions, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
NFL scouts project Dawson as a second-round choice, though he has a chance to go in the first round. TCU cornerback Jason Verrett went 25th overall to the San Diego Chargers last May.
“I love Paul Dawson as a football player,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. “… The tape doesn’t lie. That kid is as instinctive, quick and as downhill a linebacker as I’ve seen in years. His tape against Minnesota was so much fun to watch. Three-down linebacker. Can get overwhelmed at times by a big body, but he reacts so quickly that he’s able to get under or over the top and still make a play. He’s great in pass coverage.
“Somebody’s going to be real happy with him as a 4-3 Will [weakside] linebacker or perhaps even an inside guy depending on what you play. I love him.”
The only questions about Dawson are off the field.
Dawson was “pretty upset” when he started reading draft reports that suggested he had “character concerns.” He first addressed them in a recent USA Today draft diary, admitting a positive test for Adderall his first season at TCU. He said he got a prescription soon after.
Dawson also revealed he “was tardy a lot.”
“Time management, mostly,” Dawson said Saturday by way of explanation. “Just making the wrong choices. Sometimes being around the wrong people. So yeah, I made that change by just doing what I need to do.”
Dawson has openly addressed his past during interviews with NFL teams, owning up to his “mistakes” that he insists were corrected his senior year. He said every team has asked about the negative perceptions.
“I’ve matured and don’t make those mistakes anymore,” Dawson said. “I don’t plan on making them in my future. I plan on being in this league a long time. Those mistakes can’t happen.”
The 6-foot, 235-pounder also wants NFL teams to know passing on him will prove a big mistake. He calls himself the best linebacker in the draft.
“It’s just going out and being able to do what I do and make plays,” Dawson said. “Size doesn’t really matter. It’s all about your heart. I plan on showing that every day in my game.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2015 at 8:52 PM with the headline "TCU’s Paul Dawson ready to prove himself the right choice."