What Makes Paul Dawson the Best Linebacker Available in the 2015 NFL Draft

Despite character concerns and a poor performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, Paul Dawson remains the best linebacker available in the 2015 NFL draft.

NFL Network's Mike Mayock ranked the TCU product as the No. 1 player at the linebacker position, excluding edge-rushers. Yet he barely made it onto the draft expert's list of the top 50 prospects, earning the nod at No. 42.

The snub reflects how the character concerns and poor combine performance affected the TCU product's draft stock, which will likely end up being the difference between going in the first or the second round.

Based on talent alone though, Dawson is a first-round prospect.

What sets the 6'0", 235-pound former TCU player apart from the rest of the position class? His instincts.

It's a strength analysts like NFL.com's Lance Zierlein and scouts can't ignore:

"

If you watched Texas vs. TCU last night, you know why I have such a high draft grade on LB Paul Dawson. Scouts enamored with his instincts

— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) November 28, 2014"

Here is Dawson's film from the TCU vs. Texas game, to give context to Zierlein's high draft grade:

Dawson has great field vision and the ability to decipher plays as they're happening, which is why he often finds himself in the right position to make big plays, as demonstrated above.

His instincts will transfer well into the NFL, especially in pass coverage. According to Zierlein's draft analysis, Dawson allowed just 35.7 percent of passes against him to be completed.

The linebacker's athleticism is also off the charts. It's certainly a greater factor than his 4.93 40-yard dash at the combine would suggest:

The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and All-American led the conference with 136 total tackles in 2014, recording 10 or more in eight of his 13 games played during that campaign. He also had four interceptions, five passes defended and 20 tackles for loss.

Dawson helped TCU to its 12-1 finish with the eighth-best scoring defense and 18th-best total defense, and he's capable of making a similar impact for a team at the next level.

While his talent deserves a first-round nod, Dawson will likely get picked up in the second round for the reasons mentioned earlier. With that said, he could go to the New Orleans Saints with the 44th pick.

The team has a need for an inside linebacker, and Dawson would be a good fit. He would add youth to the Saints' depth chart, which features David Hawthorne, Parys Haralson and Dannell Ellerbe. All of them will be 30 or older by the end of the year.