TCU’s Paul Dawson regains draft footing with solid Pro Day

After the stats he put up last season, Paul Dawson seemingly didn’t have much to prove before the NFL Draft. But a subpar Scouting Combine put pressure on the TCU linebacker to perform during the school’s Pro Day.

On Friday, Paul Dawson looked more like Paul Dawson.

“That was the goal,” Dawson said.

Dawson weighed 230 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in times of 4.77 and 4.82 and had a 30-inch vertical and a 9-foot, 1/4-inch broad jump. It was an improvement on his combine numbers when he weighed 235, ran an official 4.93 in the 40, had a 28-inch vertical and a 9-1 broad.

“His numbers at the combine didn’t compute with what we saw on tape,” St. Louis Rams assistant head coach Dave McGinnis said. “He was in good condition today; he was in shape. It was evident that he’s been working since the combine. The combine is the combine, and what’s past is past, but it’s evident he’s been working for this day here.”

The Horned Frogs drew 43 scouts, including six from the Dallas Cowboys. Most eyes were on Dawson, with Cowboys linebackers coach Matt Eberflus, Minnesota Vikings linebackers coach Adam Zimmer, New Orleans Saints linebackers coach Joe Vitt and Rams assistant linebackers coach Joe Bowden among those at the Sam Baugh Indoor Practice Facility.

They left satisfied that Dawson is the same player they saw on film.

“He’s got real good ability,” Eberflus said. “He’s got good quickness. He’s got good instincts, and he’s got a lot of upside to his game. It was good to see him here today, and he did a nice job.”

Dawson’s numbers seemingly spoke for themselves. Last season, he made 136 tackles, 20 for loss, with six sacks, four interceptions, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

It’s the reason he entered the draft process with a second-round grade, and the reason TCU coach Gary Patterson remains convinced Dawson will become a success in the NFL.

“One thing Paul has, and I think you have to have at that level, is pure talent and instincts,” Patterson said. “He’s a great tackler. He reacts quickly. It’s kind of like the pick he had against Oklahoma. He read the quarterback’s eyes, he made the play, and he got a pick-six.

“He’s just one of those guys who does things you can’t coach. We can get them in the right position, but they don’t necessarily make plays. It’s hard to make as many tackles as what he did a year ago and not be one of those guys. You put him in a system like that, and I think you have the opportunity for him to be successful.”

Dawson first had to address reports of “character concerns.” He admits he had a problem with time management, causing frequent tardiness, but he insists he changed before his senior season.

Dawson credits his 2-year-old daughter, Destane, with maturing him.

“I just started doing my own thing and making the right choices,” Dawson said.

Dawson’s performance at the combine hurt even more as he appeared overweight and out of shape, raising questions about his work ethic.

“I just got to be too heavy,” said Dawson, who left a workout facility in San Diego after the combine for one in Tampa. “That was my goal to gain some weight in the upper body and lower body, but I just felt like I was too heavy. And then I tweaked my hamstring the first 40 [in Indy]. I decided to keep competing with everybody. I should have shut it down, but it is what it is. I came out here and did what I was supposed to do.”

After seeing his draft stock drop after the combine, Dawson regained consideration as the best inside linebacker prospect in the draft.

“I always felt like I was the best,” Dawson said.

This story was originally published March 27, 2015 at 5:41 PM with the headline "TCU’s Paul Dawson regains draft footing with solid Pro Day."