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OLB Paul Dawson, TCU -- For most of America, the Peach Bowl was a coming out party for linebacker extraordinaire Paul Dawson. For many draftniks, the party's been going on for a year now. Dawson is an absolute playmaking force at the OLB/WILB position, and has all the talent you need to be a first-round pick. Besides being an excellent tackler, a great athlete, and amply versatile, what really sets Dawson apart from his peers is his ability to quickly read what the offense is doing. Watching TCU's defense in 2014 was an exercise in repetition: offense runs a play, and you typically saw Dawson when the play ended. He plays the run well, he closes on the QB brilliantly, he drops into coverage as well as any LB this side of Luke Kuechly. Dawson's one lacking aspect to his game is his resilience against the downhill running game, but that's nothing a little technique work couldn't fix. Dawson reminds me of Derrick Johnson when DJ was tearing shit up as an OLB for the Longhorns, and then later as a "Will" backer for the Chiefs. He penetrates the offensive line. He rarely misses tackles. His effort is off the charts. Even his hands are really good. He should be able to really excel in the DJ-role in the Chiefs defense, should Kansas City elect to go that way.
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