NFL analyst gets a 'Fred Warner vibe' from Rams rookie LB Chris Paul Jr.

[ASFN Admin]

There’s a lot of excitement about the selections of Terrance Ferguson and Jarquez Hunter on offense, but the Los Angeles Rams landed a playmaker on defense who could contribute early on when they drafted Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. in the fifth round.

He’s an athletic linebacker who can cover a lot of ground in the middle of the field, which fits exactly what the Rams needed behind their stout defensive line. Though Paul is undersized by NFL standards, it won’t prevent him from playing meaningful snaps as a rookie and for years to come.

NFL analyst Doug Farrar has been diving into the tape of players drafted this year and he’s impressed by the play of Paul. He shared four clips of the Rams’ new linebacker on X and wrote that Paul gives him “a Fred Warner vibe” – a huge compliment, even if Warner plays for a Rams rival.

New @RamsNFL LB Pooh Paul Jr. It sounds sacrilegious, I know, but I get a Fred Warner vibe here. Runs receivers up the rail, reads everything from the middle, he's a demon to the backfield... all the way to how he can pressure from the weakside B-gap on an overload front. pic.twitter.com/XSYA7dZ1NV

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) May 13, 2025

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein graded Paul as a 4th/5th-round prospect in this year's class, so the Rams got good value by taking him in the fifth. His undersized frame certainly played a role in his stock being lower in the draft but his range and coverage skills will make up for it.

Here's what Zierlein wrote about Paul in his scouting report.

Weakside linebacker prospect with ascending talent and production for a 4-3 defense. Paul is an assignment-oriented linebacker whose play recognition improved as the season progressed. He takes quality angles to the action and is a sure-handed tackler when he gets his hooks in. He appears quicker than fast and is better at spot-dropping or blitzing on passing downs than he is at matching up with backs and pass-catching tight ends. Paul colors inside the lines and does his job inside the scheme, but he could take another step forward if he can play with more of a “see play, make play” mentality downhill.

The Rams run a lot of nickel and dime packages on defense, which means there's often only one inside linebacker on the field at a time. They have plenty of competition at that spot now with Paul, Omar Speights, Nate Landman and Troy Reeder, but on paper, Paul probably has the best coverage skills of them all.

That could earn him playing time on third downs and obvious passing situations, which is a crucial role in Chris Shula's scheme – and any defense, for that matter.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' Chris Paul Jr. draws comparison to 49ers LB Fred Warner

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