Featured Report: Get to Know Houston Offensive Lineman Patrick Paul

NFL Draft Bible's Jack Borowsky sits down with the Cougars' offensive tackle to talk about his journey and what we can expect from him.

How does a 5-foot-6 defensive tackle entering high school end up as one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the nation? Patrick Paul credits his success to two words: hard work.

The Houston native has taken a unique path to where he is today. Paul grew nine inches his freshman year of high school, but he was still under-recruited. “I didn’t have a lot of attention on me, so I didn’t even really think I was going to play college football,” Paul said.

Going into his senior season, Paul didn’t have a college offer. Things quickly changed. He switched from defensive tackle to offensive tackle and started taking training seriously. Paul began to look like a next-level prospect, which led Tulsa to give him his first scholarship offer toward the end of his season. At the time, Paul’s older brother Chris played for the Golden Hurricanes.

Once Tulsa offered Patrick, Houston came knocking. Paul remembers, “They brought me out to a game, which I was very excited for. A few days afterward, the offensive line coach called me to tell me that I was offered a full scholarship to the University of Houston.”

It didn’t take long for Paul to commit to the Cougars. “I went on an official visit, and after my visit, I committed. I wanted to play for Houston.” Paul noted, “I fell in love with the campus and the facilities. I was starry-eyed.”

The day Paul graduated high school, he moved onto campus to start his collegiate career. He was only 17 years old, but Paul didn’t feel the pressure. He said, “I wanted to stay level-headed and not get overwhelmed. I knew I had to grow up fast.”

Things changed for Paul once he arrived on campus. He went from just playing football to being obsessed with the grind. Paul soaked up everything from the older guys and worked as hard as he could to improve his game.

When anyone showed up after practices, Paul would be there working on his pass sets, conditioning, core strength and anything he needed to do to get better. Paul focused on repetition and consistency and they were the key to him losing 60-70 pounds of fat and drastically improving his ability as a player. Paul lived in his craft and that led to him suiting up as a freshman.

Later in the season, star left tackle Josh Jones was playing with an injured ankle. He shut things down, giving Paul the starting spot for Week 12 against Memphis.

“I was so nervous going into the game. If you asked me what happened leading up to it, I couldn’t tell you, but after the first snap, I was good,” Paul recalled.

He did a very good job against Memphis and continued his success against Tulsa and Navy to end the season.

With his play as a true freshman, there was a lot of anticipation heading into Paul’s sophomore campaign. Things didn’t go as planned, though. Paul tore a ligament in his foot and sprained his ankle against BYU, which he thought wasn’t major at first.

The injury was much more serious than Paul initially believed. He said, “I tried to rehab it and come back during that season, but it wasn’t going well. I had to get a tightrope procedure done and couldn’t walk for two months.”

Paul was forced to redshirt and end his season.

For most players, a season-ending injury is tough to recover from, but Paul thinks it made him stronger mentally and physically. Paul went so far as to say that he “loved” that it happened.

From an off-field perspective, Paul feels that his injury forced him to develop more as a person. Paul said, “I found other hobbies away from the facility. When you are younger, you think that football is your life, but I learned it doesn’t last forever. It made me mature quickly and realize I’m more than just a football player.”

He reconnected with one of his pastimes, gaming, which really helped him with his recovery process. Paul was also able to stay connected with teammates through gaming and learned about live streaming, two things that have stuck with him to this day.

Houston fans had to wait for Paul’s full breakout, but it was worth it. As a redshirt sophomore in 2021, Paul cemented his status as one of the best left tackles in the nation. He dominated week in and week out, with strong performances against some of the best pass rushers in the country.

On film, Paul displayed high-level athleticism, foot quickness and knee bend to mirror defenders. His length and size also stood out, as Paul always looked like an NFL player on the field. In the run game, Paul showed natural power and nastiness to put defenders in the dirt.

With athleticism, length and size to go along with his other traits, Paul projects as a future starting left tackle at the next level. Paul isn’t letting his success go to his head, as he is taking things one day at a time and continuing to work as hard as ever.

The AAC has had a lot of talent go to the NFL in the past two seasons, with 38 total draft picks, their conference record over a two-year span. That number includes four first-round picks and Patrick’s brother Chris, who was drafted by the Washington Commanders in 2022. Chris has been instrumental in Patrick’s life, helping him every step of the way and they’ll be reconnecting in the NFL very soon.

No longer 5-foot-6 and now towering at 6-foot-7, Patrick’s obsession with hard work has paid off and put him in a position to join that growing list of first-round picks from the AAC.

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