The start of the Miami Dolphins training camp is roughly one month away, with rookies reporting before that and less than a month away. One rookie who will have a lot of eyeballs on him this summer is second-round pick Patrick Paul out of Houston.
The Miami Dolphins received much praise for their draft class this past April, and many feel Chris Grier did a very good job addressing both needs and adding high-level talent to this roster.
There is no question Paul has the size to play left tackle in the NFL.
There is no question Paul has the speed to play in the NFL.
There are questions about Paul’s fundamentals and a skill set and whether that can be developed.
People ask that because when you watch his college tape from Houston, you see many basic fundamentals that are easily correctable, but they never were over his four years in college. And if these things weren’t corrected in four years of college, it gives people pause to think they can be fixed now.
It isn’t like Houston is some ragamuffin college that is an afterthought in football. It’s a real school with a high-quality coaching staff. So, I can see why some are concerned that Paul isn’t further along in his development.
The Dolphins are betting on their coaching staff, though, and Butch Barry. Last season, we saw former first-round draft pick Austin Jackson have a career season with his level of play increasing under the tutelage of Barry. Robert Hunt also played very well and cashed in on a $100 million contract, and Liam Eichenberg had his best season as a professional.
So, Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel are betting on Butch Barry with this pick as much as they are betting on Patrick Paul. McDaniel and Grier are really hoping Paul will pan out and be Miami’s left tackle of the future as soon as 2025.
Current Dolphins starting left tackle Terron Armstead has hinted at retirement in recent years and contemplated it this past offseason. Kendall Lamm stated that he almost retired after the last offseason, and this will be his final season in the NFL. So, it would be nice for Miami to have their left tackle of the future on the roster already.
If Chop Robinson or Mo Kamara do not pan out, you can find pass rushers anywhere and easily. If Jaylen Wright doesn’t pan out, running backs are a dime a dozen. But finding a high-quality left tackle is just as hard these days as finding a starting quarterback. That’s why Houston gave up so much to acquire Laremy Tunsil a few years back.
Another reason Patrick Paul will have a lot of eyeballs on him is because who was drafted around him. Paul was selected with pick #55 near the end of Round 2, and that pick began a run on offensive tackles.
Because picks 59, 62, 63, 67, and 68 were all offensive tackles, and if any of those players are on the field before Paul or end up being better players than Paul in the next year or so, that will drive Chris Grier nuts I’m sure, and it will drive Dolphins fans to be nuts with Chris Grier as well.
While in a perfect world, Patrick Paul doesn’t play a snap this year and can develop, learn from Armstead, and spend a full year in an NFL weight room and weight program to build up his body and his skills under the tutelage of Butch Barry and Frank Smith.
Also, in a perfect world, it would be nice to see enough out of him this summer and in training camp and preseason games for Paul to beat out Kendall Lamm for the backup left tackle position. That would ease many fears and answer many questions about the Paul selection Miami made this past April.
Ultimately in a perfect world, Patrick Paul uses this year to prepare himself to be the Miami Dolphins starting left tackle in 2025.
That is why Patrick Paul, out of all of the Dolphins players, will have the most eyeballs on him this training camp come July.
