An In-Depth Look at Cincinnati Bengals' Most Intriguing Selection, Paul Dawson

There's little debate that the Cincinnati Bengals' most heralded pick in the 2015 NFL draft also happens to be the team's most intriguing selection. 

This refers to third-round pick Paul Dawson, of course.

Dawson was one of the most polarizing players in the 2015 class. On film, Dawson catches the eye and never lets go due to his instinctual play that allows him to amass video game-esque numbers. 

Off the field, iffy measurables and character concerns sent his stock plummeting and caused many teams to question whether he was worth the risk.

Coach Marvin Lewis and the Bengals seem to think so because he might remind them of another formerly troubled 'backer by the name of Vontaze Burfict. The team selected Dawson with the No. 99 pick in the draft, a compensatory selection for Michael Johnson's free-agency departure one year ago.

Read on to get better acquainted with Dawson, Cincinnati's most intriguing pick of the 2015 draft.

On the Field 

Few linebackers can produce the way Dawson does. 

Sound like an exaggeration? Last year alone, Dawson totaled 136 tackles, 20 of them for loss, as well as four interceptions en route to winning the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award, per NFL.com.

How about 2013? He played in 12 games, starting just seven, but totaled 91 tackles, 10 of them for a loss. 

Again, Dawson the athlete isn't going to blow anyone away. Folks seem to love 40-yard dash numbers, so ponder this—he ran a 4.93-second time at the NFL Scouting Combine and wasn't much more impressive on friendly turf at his pro day, running a 4.75 and 4.77.

Dawson the player will blow an observer away like a running back caught alone in the hole with him.

Cincinnati defensive coordinator Paul Guenther puts it best, per ESPN.com's Coley Harvey:

It's a fair comparison. Like Burfict, Dawson seems to always be around the ball despite perceived limited athleticism, which is why Lewis followed up with this comment, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

The film agrees.

Dawson showed a little bit of everything last season in his team's 37-33 upset of then-No. 4 Oklahoma in early October, such as here in the third quarter when he sniffs out a rush:

Later in the same frame, Dawson pulls his team ahead by cutting a blitz short, reading the quarterback's eyes and doing the rest:

In a 30-7 victory against Minnesota earlier last season, Dawson provided just one of many instances of his ability to stick with receivers in the passing game despite his poor testing measurables (double click to zoom out):

It's a small sampling, but it would be easier to find the negative plays than document each outstanding snap.

Dawson's a producer who's still learning and growing, and it appears he has a skill set that's ready to make the leap to the pro game. The off-field dynamic has a say in the matter, though.

Off the Field

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

What about the proverbial elephant in the room? 

Folks will recall Dawson's comparison, Burfict, fell out of the 2012 draft due to character concerns. As one AFC West scout tells NFL.com's Lance Zierlein in the link above, teams had no choice but to knock Dawson down a few rounds over character concerns:

"

He's an early round player without any question, but you don't have to dig around very deep or very long to realize that his personal character is going to be a major issue for some teams. My grade will be two rounds later than just the talent grade. It has to be factored in.

"

All right, but what are these concerns?

It's not an easy thing to unearth, but there are tidbits here and there. Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Bob Fox talked to NFL scout Chris Landry, who provided the following analysis about Dawson: "They [coaching staff at TCU] just don't like him over there. He's just a pain in the rear to coach. He does his own thing. He just shows up and makes plays. And he's one of those guys that you wonder about."

Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also talked to a few scouts, one who said, "All he does is make every play. You've got to be disciplined to play for Gary Patterson, who's probably the best defensive coach in the country. Gary really likes this guy, and Gary doesn't say very many nice things about people."

Another adds more intricate detail, saying, "Late for meetings type of thing."

Interesting, right? How about a little context from Dawson himself?

Dawson owned up to his mistakes in a draft diary, recorded by USA Today's Tom Pelissero. Dawson admits he was "tardy a lot" and would be described as a "knucklehead" by TCU coach Gary Patterson right now.

Dawson also provides context for those who suggest he doesn't prepare well:

"

I'd usually be the last one to leave the facility. I'd be there until midnight. The coaches would leave at like 10. I'd just be in a little room, and they didn't even know I was there. They're talking now like I never watched film. How could I not watch film and be that productive? That doesn't make sense. I stayed, probably watched two hours a night, so that's about 10 hours extra a week. I put in that work, did what I needed to do, and it all paid off.

"

He also explains his lone off-field hiccup, a failed drug test:

"

Now I'm reading that I've got 'character concerns.' My sophomore year when I got there, I failed one drug test for Adderall, and I got a prescription for it a couple months later. I never failed another drug test, never got in any trouble, never suspended.

"

Now, all the above needs to come with a grain of salt, whether it's from a scout or Dawson himself.

The character concerns seem valid, but not in an off-field sense, suggesting Cincinnati does not need to worry about potential arrests or league-mandated suspensions due to drugs or behavior.

Dawson sounds like a motivated 22-year-old football player in need of strict structure in the right environment with the right coaching staff. He admits in the diary to being upset when his coaches suggested he'd be a "role player" and went on to post epic numbers and win awards.

Now Dawson can add another motivational chip on his shoulder after falling to the third round despite being a first-round talent. Lewis took the dive and gave Dawson a chance as he has with many others, and now the ball is in his court to run with it and prove the rest of the league wrong.

Conclusion

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

There's a real chance Dawson can emerge as a first-year starter in Cincinnati if the coaching staff is willing to make some adjustments to the starting lineup. He could fit in the middle or perhaps line up at weak-side linebacker.

Dawson didn't mince his opinion on the matter after the Bengals selected him, per Dehner:

His instinctual play against the run could help him fit in the middle if the team wants to move Rey Maualuga back to strong-side linebacker. He can cover the pass well enough (he allowed just 35.7 percent of passes against him to be completed, per Zierlein), so if he shows well there he could start on the weak side and Burfict can slide to the middle, if healthy. Burfict had microfracture surgery on his knee in late October.

Regardless, Dawson has made it quite clear in the days since the draft that he's ready to get to work with his new team, as Joe Danneman of Fox 19 in Cincinnati illustrates:

Cliche or not, the sky is the limit for Dawson. It's easy to forget he didn't play defense at TCU until his junior year and still went on to record 91 tackles.

Dawson's an elite football player, a measuring stick all 32 teams in the league will monitor to decide just how much stock to put into testing numbers versus film.

With Cincinnati, Dawson can make an impact right away and secure a long-term job if he transitions well and is willing to put in the work to succeed. The Bengals and Dawson feel like the perfect marriage, so it will be intriguing to see if he takes the opportunity and runs away with it.

No. 47 might be the most interesting player of all in Cincinnati next season.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of May 4. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. All GIFs within courtesy of DraftBreakdown.com.