Putting Patrick Paul Under the Microscope

The 2024 second-round pick will be asked to follow in some big footsteps for the Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Patrick Paul (52) in action during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium as a rookie last season. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The 2025 season will be a critical season for Miami Dolphins second-year offensive tackle Patrick Paul.

Former Dolphins starter Terron Armstead announced his retirement Saturday night, leaving Paul to be the team's starting left tackle this coming season. Armstead wasn’t expected back this coming season, whether he retired or not, which is one of the main reasons the Dolphins selected Paul in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Paul played sparingly last season, logging three starts and 384 total snaps. We’ve decided to look back on Paul’s play to see what Dolphins should be hopeful and wary of with Paul taking at the reins at left tackle.

Why Dolphins Fans Should Be Excited

Paul was an incredibly raw prospect coming out of the University of Houston. Despite starting 44 games across four seasons with the Cougars and playing 2,754 total snaps, Paul’s hand usage, pass sets, and run blocking were wildly inconsistent.

In situations where Paul was set up for success last season, he improved in several of those spots. He started at left tackle in Week 4 against the Titans and Week 15 against the Texans while playing 61 snaps against the Jets in Week 14.

In those three games, Paul allowed just six total pressures, with three coming earlier in the season against the Titans. Against the Texans and Jets, Paul made a lot better use of his massive size (6-7, 332 pounds) to overwhelm pass rushers early in reps.

Where Dolphins fans should be really excited is Paul’s ability to help in the running game. Paul packs a ton of power behind his frame, and he’s also got above-average athletic ability to get into space and make impact blocks.

Paul still needs to improve his accuracy on blocks downfield, but he should be capable of helping the Dolphins offense get back on track in the ground game.

After Austin Jackson went on IR with a knee injury in November, the Dolphins averaged just 82.12 rushing yards per game in the remaining eight weeks of the season. With Jackson returning next season and Paul entering the lineup, the Dolphins will have a lot more size and physicality in the running game.

It’s difficult to quantify Paul’s effect on the running game. Still, he projects as a better run-blocking lineman than Armstead, especially in Miami’s outside zone focused system.

While Paul showed some improvement last season and should raise the ceiling of Miami’s run blocking, the real prize for the Dolphins will be locking down the left tackle spot for the foreseeable future.

If Paul is at least a quality starter, it’ll give the Dolphins a young, healthy lineman to build the rest of the offensive line around — something they haven’t had since trading Laremy Tunsil to the Houston Texans in 2019.

That’s the ideal outcome for Paul and the Dolphins, but some development is still needed before Paul reaches that point.

Why Dolphins Fans Should Be Worried

Despite showing some improvement from his college tape during last season, Paul is a huge downgrade from Armstead in pass protection.

Armstead was one of the best technical pass blockers in the game, which allowed him to be a lock-down tackle late into his career despite his injuries. Paul has more natural traits, but he’s still learning how to apply them.

It’s hard to imagine Paul not having some growing pains this coming season, which likely will be amplified for a few reasons. The first is that Jackson is not a strong pass protector on the other side of the line.

As good as a combination of Jackson and Paul could be in the running game, they’re both below-average pass protectors. Miami’s offense gets the ball out quickly, but the offense can only scheme around so many poor pass protectors.

To be fair to Paul, his worst pass-blocking reps last season came in difficult circumstances. He was thrust into the lineup against the Browns in Week 17 and struggled quite a bit.

He allowed one sack, three pressures, and three hurries, several of which came against Myles Garrett, arguably the best pass rusher in the sport.

Paul’s other worst performance came in Week 18 against the Jets when he played right tackle. It was clear Paul wasn’t comfortable with his footwork on the opposite of the line, leading to him giving up four pressures and hurries.

Paul should be given some grace for those performances, but it was clear he was overwhelmed by better competition and shouldn’t be considered versatile.

When it comes to run blocking, the main improvement Paul can make is staying attached to his blocks longer. He fires off the line with a lot of speed and power, which leaves him unbalanced when he makes contact. Correcting that should be easier for Paul than correcting his pass protection woes.

Overall, Paul looked better than many expected last season. He made some small strides in pass protection and used his size and athletic ability well in the running game. Still, Paul has a long way to go before he should be considered the long-term answer at left tackle.

•

Miami Dolphins 2025 Draft Central

•

Poupart's Mock Draft (Or Something Like It)

•

Is the Dolphins First-Round Pick the 'Lock of the Night'?

•

Why Trade Down Is Best-Case Scenario for Dolphins

•

The Five Worst Drafts in Dolphins History