Niles Paul
Niles Paul is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for eight seasons in the National Football League. He played college football as a wide receiver for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and was selected in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins.
Early life
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 and a senior, while finishing second in the 300-meter hurdles and fourth in the 100-meter dash as a senior. 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 and 4x400-meter relays. 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 football at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for the Cornhuskers 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
Washington Redskins
2011 season
The Washington Redskins selected Paul in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft. 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.
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.