Ole Miss rookie making a big impression on Sean McVay

The NFL Preseason is more than just the teams knocking off the rust and getting back into the swing of things before the regular season starts. The preseason, especially for rookies, is the opportunity for guys to showcase why they deserve to either be a starter, or just someone on the 53-man roster. If it is a rookie who was just drafted on day 3 of the draft, like Chris "Pooh" Paul Jr., they are trying to get comfortable in the new pace of the NFL.

Paul Jr. has reportedly been impressing the Rams coaching staff, notable head coach Sean McVay, especially in his preseason debut against the Dallas Cowboys. In that game, Paul Jr. recorded four tackles, which may not seem like a lot, but he didn't play the entire game as he is coming back from a soft tissue injury.

McVay was very positive about Paul Jr.'s return to the field and his performance against the Cowboys.

"It's been great to get 'Pooh' back out there," McVay said. "I thought you felt his presence and you felt his range out there...he's got a good game day demeanor, I was pleased with what I saw from him."

Sean McVay isn't the only coach on the Rams staff to be impressed by Chris Paul Jr.

Paul was drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but he is proving it doesn't matter what day you get drafted on, as long as you play hard, you can make an impact. McVay has clearly been impressed by his performance, but so had defensive coordinator Chris Shula.

Shula had spoken with Paul's coaches at Ole Miss and heard that when he shines the brightest when the lights come on and he is a guy who is going to succeed in the NFL. His physicality is certainly something to be impressed by and Shula felt like Paul did just that in his debut, especially with missing time with that soft tissue injury.