Nelson Paul: DE · SMU · #9.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Nelson Paul
Wins the corner before the tackle can set. Played for three head coaches at SMU: Sonny Dykes, Jim Leavitt and Rhett Lashlee. On tape: 3 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against East Carolina, Week 7, 2023.
Play style
Bends the edge and wins with first-step quickness. Lighter frame, relentless motor.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
22 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 7 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
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Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 11 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-14vs Louisiana Tech | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 69-0vs Prairie View A&M | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 17-34@ TCU | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 34-16vs Charlotte | 5 | 3 | 2.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 7 | W 31-10@ East Carolina | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 55-0@ Temple | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 9 | W 69-10vs Tulsa | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 36-31@ Rice | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 12 | W 38-34@ Memphis | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 59-14vs Navy | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 26-14@ No. 17 Tulane | 3 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 22 | 12 | 7.0 | 4.5 | — | 1 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Sack rate
20%4 sacksTFL rate
32%7 TFLHurry rate
5%1 hurryPressure-to-sack conversion
82%4 of 6 pressures22 tackles · 7 for loss · 4.5 sacks.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 11 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Road6g | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Rhett Lashlee
Pass share
46.1%
463 pass / 541 run
Plays / game
71.7
14 games
Team sack rate
3.5%
455 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2023
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive linemen who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #136 at the position.
How it ended
Five seasons at SMU, 15 sacks — the college career is complete.
A stat line in 45 games over five seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2019–2023
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Sonny Dykes → Rhett Lashlee. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
