Finding Broncos: Chris Paul | OL | Tulsa

Finding Broncos scouts the 2022 NFL Draft with an under-the-radar offensive lineman.

Measurements

• Height: 6-foot-4
• Weight: 324 pounds
• Arms: 33-5/8 inches
• Hands: 9-3/8 inches

Combine Results

• 40 Yard Dash: 4.89 seconds
• Vertical Jump: 27 inches
• Broad Jump: 109 inches
• 3 Cone Drill: 7.74 seconds
• 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.83 seconds

Pros

• Praised for his maturity and leadership. 
• Has tremendous size for the NFL. 
• Has solid technique and a good football IQ. 
• He loves to take the will of his assignment and finish with them on the ground. 
• Has good awareness beyond his first block to find more work. 
• Uses his length well to control the gaps. 
• Has length that will help him work inside at the NFL level. 
• Keeps his feet in constant motion and driving through blocks. 
• Climbs to the second level with good timing. 
• The placement of his hands and punch in the run game are consistent and gives him control.
• Has good footwork that help keep him stay balanced, for the most part. 
• Plays with a great center of gravity. 
• Has a strong anchor that is hard to drive back. 
• Sorts through the chaos quickly. 

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Cons

• Doesn't have good agility or foot quickness. 
• Struggles when having to recover with poor athleticism. 
• Has some issues with quickness crossing his face. 
• Hands can be clunky when going for his punch. 
• Plays with a narrow base that is easy to shift off-balance. 
• Consistent losses when fighting inside counters. 
• Struggles to sustain blocks. 
• Will overset outside and leave the inside lane open. 
• Doesn't have much burst and could be out raced to the outside or even climbing. 
• Has to bring more power with his punch to stall pass rushers. 
• Has dealt with multiple knee injuries.

Overview

Chris Paul is a powerful interior offensive lineman that doesn't have the best movement skills to entice every team. He does do well when working on the second level but doesn't have reliable movement skills to get there with timing consistently at the NFL level. For teams that are keeping things more north/south, Paul will be enticing, but teams that want to attack the outside more will likely be down on him. 

There will be a lot determined by how his knees check out as he dealt with multiple injuries. If there are long-term concerns, then he could fall in the draft. That is the one concern he has that can't be coached out exactly. 

When it comes to using power, Paul is outstanding. He has solid technique and keeps his feet driving through blocks, with the attitude and desire to put his assignment on their back. Offensive line coaches will love Paul with his football IQ and demeanor on and off the field. 

Fit with Broncos

Denver is going to a scheme that relies on movement skills from their offensive linemen. In addition, it will attack the outside more often, so lateral agility and foot quickness are needed. Those are two areas that Chris Paul struggles in, but maybe the coaching staff believes they can improve him in those areas. 

Outside of that, he will also need to up his temp when pulling. It was suitable for college, but transitioning to the NFL will be a concern. These are all coachable issues that can be improved, but they are not the easiest aspects to coach up. 

Paul has the power and awareness to be effective and has a coachable personality. Those could be enough to get Denver to take the risk on him. However, Denver may only be willing to take that risk a little later than teams who run inside-based schemes would take him. As a result, Paul's draft stock will vary based on scheme. 

Grade: Early Round 4

Where he Goes: Round 3/Round 4

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