Patrick Paul, OT, Houston
Size:
Height: 6’7.5”
Weight: 331 pounds
Arm Length: 36 1/4’’
Hand Size: 9 3/8"
Accomplishments:
All-AAC (2021, 2022) • Team captain (2022, 2023) • Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List (2023)
“With time and patience, Patrick Paul has the potential to reap positive returns on investment as a dependable starting offensive tackle.”
Strengths:
Disciplined and reliable in pass protection
Elite size and length
Experienced prospect with more than 35 starts in his career
Concerns:
Oftentimes becomes a catcher and relies too much on size in pass protection
Lumbering athlete with top-heavy weight distribution
Struggles on backside and second-level blocks due to inefficient footwork and mobility
Film Analysis:
Patrick Paul comes into this year's draft cycle as an exciting and equally apprehensive offensive line prospect. A giant among giants at his position, Paul checks all the boxes from a measurables standpoint and blends those traits with an impressive resume, including multiple all-conference selections, consecutive team captain honors, and an illustrious career spanning more than 35 starts.
Where Paul is going to win over a lot of decision-makers is in his effectiveness and consistency in pass protection. His size and length become fuzed with a patient and steady demeanor on every rep, which lead to him stonewalling defenders time and time again. He’s incredibly collected in his pass set, leaving no room for inside maneuvers or counter moves and he complements this demeanor with impressive recoverability and improved upper-body strength. From season to season Paul grew the most in his improved utilization of his hands throughout the phase of each rep. He keeps fighting with his hands to regain leverage whereas he would formerly just rely on his frame to do so.
Paul’s size and resume alone garner legitimate consideration among an elite group of offensive line prospects, but projecting Paul to the next level comes with some speed bumps. In a league that heavily values athleticism and fluidity at the tackle position, Paul has ground to make up for on that front. While his athletic challenges don’t worry me much, he must continue to further develop and improve his footwork to mask these deficiencies at the next level and win with his technique rather than his size. His production as a backside blocker, puller, and second-level blocker has improved throughout the duration of his career but is not at a level yet to leave me without concern. Again, these examples can be traced back to the underlying issue of inefficient footwork and average athletic ability in the run game, but those traits alone don’t stop me from finding serious upside in Paul’s game.
Paul as a pass protector consists of inaccurate hand strikes, occasionally hugging or having both hands outside the chest of his defender giving up his own chest in return. Against the elite pass rushers of the NFL, he’ll need to time and strike with more efficiency and precision. As Paul continues to develop, shying away from relying on his size and taking the fight to his defenders will be pivotal to becoming a more well-rounded prospect and player. But being a true pass protection savant in a crowded offensive line class will provide intrigue for a majority of organizations.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Developmental Traits
Exposures: Texas Tech (2022), SMU (2022), Louisiana (2022), Texas Tech (2023), TCU (2023), West Virginia (2023)
