Niles Paul
refer to caption
Paul with the Washington Redskins in 2014
No. 84, 81
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1989-08-09) August 9, 1989
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school:Omaha North
College:Nebraska
NFL Draft:2011 / Round: 5 / Pick: 155
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:78
Receiving yards:954
Return yards:814
Total touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com

Niles Paul (born August 9, 1989) is a former American football tight end. He played college football as a wide receiver at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and was selected in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.

Early years

Paul attended Omaha North High School in Omaha, Nebraska, where he was a three-sport star in football, track, and basketball. In football, Paul helped North to a 9-2 record and a trip to the Class A state quarterfinals. He was named a first-team All-Nebraska and first-team All-Metro selection by the Omaha World-Herald and a first-team Super-State pick by the Lincoln Journal Star. He was also one of 58 players who were selected as a Parade All-American. Paul averaged 19.5 yards on 32 receptions and caught 10 touchdown passes as a junior, and also averaged 25.6 yards per kickoff return. As a senior, Paul hauled in 46 passes for 814 yards and 13 touchdowns for Coach Larry Martin. He averaged nearly 18 yards per reception, and also averaged better than 18 yards per punt return. Paul was invited to play at the U.S. Army All-American Game in San Antonio, Texas, and he led the West team in receiving yards.

In track & field, Paul won the 110-meter hurdles at the state meet as both a junior (14.71s) and a senior (14.33s), while finishing second in the 300-meter hurdles (38.34s) and fourth in the 100-meter dash (11.00s) as a senior.[1] His 4x100-meter relay team also finished second with a time of 42.30 seconds. In 2006, he led the Vikings to the Class A state track title by winning four gold medals. Individually, he captured the Class A titles in the 110m hurdles and 300m hurdles and was part of the all-class gold medal teams in the 4 × 100 m (42.31) and 4x400-meter (3:18.80) relays.[2] On the basketball court, Paul was among the Class A leaders in scoring and rebounding, averaging nearly 19 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior.

Paul was regarded as the top prospect in the state of Nebraska in 2007, and was NU's first signee from Omaha North since 1998. He was regarded as one of the top 20 receiving prospects in the country by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.

College career

Paul played for the University of Nebraska football team from 2007 to 2010. He finished his college career with 103 receptions for 1,532 yards and 5 touchdowns. His career total of 4,122 all-purpose yards ranks fifth all-time in Nebraska history.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)		 224 lb
(102 kg)		 31 in
(0.79 m)		 8+7⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		4.46 s1.49 s2.56 s4.14 s6.90 s34.5 in
(0.88 m)		9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		24 reps
All values from NFL Combine, except 40 time from Pro Day[3][4]

Washington Redskins

Paul in 2011

2011 season

The Washington Redskins selected Paul in the fifth round (155th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft.[5] He was signed to a four-year contract on July 29, 2011. Paul made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the New York Giants. In Week 3 against the St. Louis Rams, he made an impressive hit on Austin Pettis during a punt return that caused him to lose the ball, but Paul was penalized for an illegal tackle. On October 5, 2011, Paul was fined $20,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Pettis.[6] In Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers, Paul had his first career start as well as made his first two career catches. Contributing more to special teams, Paul played a total of 13 games, starting in two of them, and recorded two catches for 25 yards by the end of 2011 season.[7]

2012 season

On April 20, 2012, it was reported that Paul had been attending the team's tight end meetings and would be switching from wide receiver to tight end.[8] During the offseason some of the Redskins' staff, including coach Mike Shanahan and teammate Darrel Young, compared him to former tight end, Shannon Sharpe.[9] In the Week 12 win against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, Paul scored his first career touchdown.[10]

Paul in 2017

2013 season

During the 2013 offseason, Paul was trained to be the backup fullback behind starter Darrel Young.[11] He would get his first start at fullback in Week 12 against the San Francisco 49ers due to Young being inactive because of injury.

2014 season

During the 2014 season, Paul took over at tight end after Jordan Reed was injured in Week 1. Paul made a name for himself by accumulating 21 catches for 313 yards and 1 touchdown prior to suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit in a Week 4 Thursday Night Football game by New York Giants defensive back Quentin Demps. Immediately after impact, Paul displayed the classic fencing response, a symptom of a serious concussion.[12]

2015 season

On March 6, 2015, the Redskins re-signed Paul to a three-year, $10 million contract.[13] Paul suffered a season-ending ankle fracture dislocation during the first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns.[14] On August 16, 2015, the Redskins placed him on injured reserve.[15]

2016 season

On November 8, 2016, Paul was placed on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in Week 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals.[16]

Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 15, 2018, Paul signed a two-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.[17] He was placed on injured reserve on October 16, 2018 with a knee injury.[18] He was released on December 14, 2018.[19]

San Francisco 49ers

On July 26, 2019, Paul signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers, but was released on August 2, 2019.[20]

Retirement

On August 6, 2019, Paul announced his retirement.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "NSAA State Track and Field Results - 2007 CLASS A BOYS". nsaahome.org. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  2. ↑ "NSAA State Track and Field Results - 2006 CLASS A BOYS". nsaahome.org. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  3. ↑ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Niles Paul". www.nfl.com. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Niles Paul - Nebraska, WR : 2011 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". www.nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  5. ↑ "2011 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  6. ↑ Maese, Rick (October 5, 2011). "Niles Paul fined $20,000 for helmet-to-helmet hit". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  7. ↑ Tinsman, Brian (February 28, 2012). "Roster Review: Wide Receivers". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  8. ↑ Jones, Mike (April 20, 2012). "Niles Paul preparing to switch to tight end". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  9. ↑ Tinsman, Brian (June 8, 2012). "Paul Has A Team Of Tight End Mentors". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  10. ↑ Tinsman, Brian (November 23, 2012). "Friday Morning Stats Pack: Redskins-Cowboys". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  11. ↑ Jones, Mike (August 28, 2013). "Niles Paul to handle fullback duties against Tampa Bay". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  12. ↑ Sanchez, Josh (September 25, 2014). "Niles Paul knocked out cold". fansided.com. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  13. ↑ Wesseling, Chris (March 6, 2015). "Niles Paul, Washington Redskins strike three-year deal". NFL.com. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  14. ↑ Wesseling, Chris. "Niles Paul (ankle) out for Washington Redskins' season". NFL.com. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  15. ↑ Walker, Andrew (August 16, 2015). "Redskins Sign Tight Ends D.J. Williams And Ernst Brun". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  16. ↑ Czarda, Stephen (November 8, 2016). "Redskins Sign Jordan Hill, Place Niles Paul On Injured Reserve". Redskins.com.
  17. ↑ Oehser, John (March 15, 2018). "OFFICIAL: Paul signs". Jaguars.com.
  18. ↑ "Jags sign TE Blake Bell, place Niles Paul on IR". Jaguars Wire. USA Today. October 16, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Jaguars make roster moves". Jaguars.com. December 14, 2018.
  20. ↑ Williams, Charean (August 2, 2019). "49ers Cut Niles Paul, claim Daniel Helm". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com.
  21. ↑ Reardon, Logan. "Tight end Niles Paul retires after being cut by 49ers". NFL.com. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
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