Patriots draft profile: Patrick Paul could be a plug-and-play starter at left tackle

New England needs a new left tackle, and Paul is an attractive candidate.

The New England Patriots did make investments in their offensive tackle position in free agency, signing Chukwuma Okorafor to a one-year contract and extending Michael Onwenu for three more seasons. As of right now, Okorafor and Onwenu might just be the team’s starting options at the position.

But while Onwenu is locked into the right tackle spot, the left one remains a major need. Even with Okorafor aboard as a possible starter, New England needs to bring in a longer-term option — one that might just be capable of starting right out of the gate.

There are a few tackles like that available in the draft. One of them is projected second-round pick Patrick Paul.

Hard facts

Name: Patrick Paul

Position: Offensive tackle

School: Houston

Opening day age: 23 (11/1/2000)

Measurements: 6’7 1/2”, 331 lbs, 86 1/4” wingspan, 36 1/4” arm length, 9 3/8” hand size, 5.13 40-yard dash, 7.65 3-cone, 27” vertical jump, 30 bench press reps, 9.75 Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Career statistics: 44 games (44 starts) | 2,968 offensive snaps, 85 special teams snaps | 51 quarterback pressures surrendered (5 sacks, 10 hits, 36 hurries)

Accolades: First-team All-Big 12 (2023), First-team All-AAC (2021, 2022)

Following his high school career at Jersey Village in the Houston metro area, Paul made the jump to the college level as a three-star recruit. He ended up joining the University of Houston, which allowed him to spend the next five years in his hometown.

During that time, he developed from little-used backup to reliable starting left tackle and two-time team captain. Paul ended up appearing in 44 games, starting every one of them, and establishing himself as a serious draft prospect. As such, he as invited to the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine.

Draft profile

Expected round: 2 | Consensus big board: No. 59 | Patriots meeting: N/A

Strengths: If you were to draw an offensive tackle from scratch, chances are he would look a lot like Patrick Paul. Measuring just under 6-foot-8, 331 pounds at the Scouting Combine, he offers an impressive combination of height, size and length. His wingspan ranked second among all offensive tackles present at the all-star showcase, and he nonetheless was able to manage 30 reps on the bench.

His long arms and massive range make him a challenge for opposing pass rushers to get around, and he has shown that he knows how to use this to his advantage. Paul not only can keep defenders off of him before they can get into his chest, but also forces them to run a long loop if they want to bend around his outside shoulder. He covers a lot of ground in his kick slide but also plays with surprisingly nimble feet and good bend for a player his size.

In the run game, Paul has the functional agility to serve as a pull blocker or get to the second level (something that also comes in handy on screen passes). He also plays with a natural mean streak.

Weaknesses: Having superior size and athleticism makes winning in college comparatively easy, especially when going against opponents who will, statistically speaking, mostly not make the jump to the NFL. In order to find consistent success at that next level, meanwhile, a player needs to marry physical tools with technique — and that is exactly where Paul has some clear weaknesses.

His hand usage, for example, is quite inconsistent. The accuracy of his initial punch can be on and off, which in turn leads to some awkward reps where he effectively wraps his arms around defenders in what could lead to some flags at the next level. His hand usage also tends to counteract his natural length at times.

In addition, Paul needs to learn how to settle down his footwork. At times, he seems to rush through his technique and take unnecessary steps. This, in turn, leads to uneven depth in his pass protection or an unstable base. Pair this with his size and the natural leverage issues this presents, and there is clear area for improvement.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? The Patriots traditionally like left/right flexibility in their rookie tackles, but Paul projects primarily as a left-side option at the next level. As such, there is a scenario where he ends up as a plug-and-play starter: given New England’s current uncertainty following Trent Brown’s free agency departure, the team throw the youngster in at the deep end. That would obviously depend on various factors — Who is the QB? How does the competition perform in camp? — but him starting at left tackle Day 1 would not be out of the equation.

What is his growth potential? Paul has the rare physical tools to develop into a high-end starter at the next level, but he needs to prove that he can also get his technique cleaned up. If he can do that, he projects as a potential long-term option at left tackle; a player who could take care of that position for a decade-plus if he reaches his potential.

Does he have positional versatility? Paul is a left tackle through and through: all but one of his 2,968 career offensive snaps saw him line up at that spot. The lone exception was one rep as an extra in-line blocker on the right side in 2023. Other than that, his versatility is limited to playing on the field goal and extra point protection units.

Why the Patriots? With Chukwuma Okorafor, Calvin Anderson and Conor McDermott as the current top options, the Patriots’ left tackle spot is one big question mark. Paul himself might not turn out to be the answer for the 2023 season, but his experience and athletic makeup could very well put him on the inside track to earn a starting spot right away.

Why not the Patriots? As you can probably tell by now, Paul is a bit of a project. That in itself might not turn the Patriots off on him, but they might prefer going after a tackle with a slightly higher floor even if the tradeoff is a slightly lower ceiling — especially if they start a rookie at quarterback.

One-sentence verdict: The Patriots have traditionally shied away from starting rookies at either of the tackle spots, but Paul could very well end up as their best option at left tackle in 2024.

What do you think about Patrick Paul as a potential Patriots target? Could he really become a Day 1 starter at left tackle? Or should the Patriots go in another direction? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.