Cardinals Met With Ole Miss LB

The Arizona Cardinals could add to their linebackers room in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Sep 21, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels linebacker Chris Paul Jr. (11) reacts after a defensive stop during the first half against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals continue to do work on 2025 NFL Draft prospects after events such as the Hula Bowl, Shrine Game and Senior Bowl.

In an interview with The Draft Network's Justin Melo, Ole Miss linebacker Chris Paul Jr. says he met with the Cardinals at the Shrine Bowl:

"I feel like I had a great interview with every team I sat down with. A couple teams I felt it went really well with were the Falcons. I spoke with them a bunch. Green Bay was another one. The Jaguars, Steelers, Cowboys, and Commanders went well. The Seahawks, they went well. Those are a few teams that come to mind. I also met with the Rams, Chiefs, Panthers, 49ers, Cardinals, and Lions, to name a few," said Paul.

"I feel like all of my interviews went well. It was a true blessing. It was a dream, a surreal moment. This is something I’ve been working hard for my entire life. To be living in this moment right now, it’s a true blessing."

The Cardinals had two assistant coaches at the Shrine Bowl - one of which was Ronald Booker, who coached linebackers for the West's roster. You can read more about that here.

Arizona is set to lose inside linebackers Kyzir White and Krys Barnes to free agency, so there certainly could be holes to plug when it comes to the draft or free agency.

From Bleacher Report's scouting report on Paul:

"Chris Paul Jr. has a high ceiling in the NFL as he could develop into a well-rounded linebacker. He's a very good athlete for the position. ... Overall, Paul's traits are worth betting on and he'd be a good fit as a WILL linebacker. It might take some time, but he can potentially become a quality starter in the NFL during his rookie contract and maybe even by year two."

Paul could go anywhere as a Day 2 pick. He led the Rebels in tackles (88) during 2024 to pair with 3.5 sacks.

The Cardinals have control of their first five picks in the 2025 NFL Draft with roughly $70 million in cap space to work with in free agency.

If they lose White, look for them to certainly upgrade the starting spot opposite of Mack Wilson.