Niles Paul

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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. During the offseason some of the Redskins' staff, including coach Mike Shanahan and teammate Darrel Young, compared him to former tight end, Shannon Sharpe. In the Week 12 win against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, Paul scored his first career touchdown.

The Washington Redskins selected Paul in the fifth round (155th overall) 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.

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.

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.

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. 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. 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.

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.