On Saturday, it was reported that the Kansas City Chiefs met with a tackle prospect during the 2024 NFL Combine. Per KPCR2's Aaron Wilson, the Chiefs had a chance to sit down with Houston tackle Patrick Paul.
A Houston native, Paul committed locally in 2018 as a 3-star recruit. As a freshman and sophomore, Paul played in 5 total games at left tackle for the Cougars and allowed zero sacks. Paul became the starting left tackle his junior year, and since taking over the role, Paul has logged over 2,500 snaps.
Paul is a fifth-year senior and has been credited with allowing only 5 sacks in his lengthy college career. Paul was named to the All-AAC team in 2021 and 2022 and was named a team captain in 2022 and 2023.
Paul is an ideal physical specimen for a tackle with a reported 6'7", 315 lbs. frame. Paul is currently our 41st-ranked prospect on the Arrowhead Addict Big Board. Paul's combination of unteachable size, impressive resume, and experience will be enticing to any coaching staff.
One of Paul's best assets is his consistency in pass protection. He regularly finds his pass set with no wasted movement. Paul moves fluidly up the arc and is able to stonewall any rusher looking to get inside. Once he gets his hands on you, the rep is over. His hand usage has also improved over his career.
Houston OT Patrick Paul has the agility and strength to deal with edge defenders; if not errant camera operators. pic.twitter.com/nGDWJ4sFPt
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 28, 2024
Paul is an average run blocker at best, as his biggest limitation is his athleticism. Paul is not going to be a weapon out in the open field in space. This also might make him vulnerable to speed rushers. Up to this point, he has been able to rely on the fact that he is bigger and stronger than 95% of the competition he's faced at Houston.
At 24 years old, there's reason to question the physical upside of Paul as a prospect. There are lots of reasons to buy into his experience, size, and pass protection but the ceiling as a prospect will likely have him as a Day 2 prospect.
Does Patrick Paul make sense for the Chiefs?
The Chiefs are going to continue to struggle to find a left tackle in the draft as long as Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback. Quality tackle prospects just don't fall that late. While there are some rare instances of quality left tackles falling in the draft, it's just not common.
The good news is that Paul has several traits the Chiefs prefer in their tackles (arm length, size, and pass protection). While he does have his flaws, it's fairly uncommon to find a tackle with this much experience at left tackle who can stay on the outside at the next level.
A Patrick Paul vs. Wanya Morris camp battle for left tackle feels like a fairly safe floor for the tackle position—not to mention the alleged possibility of Jawaan Taylor playing left tackle as well. Physically, Paul looks and plays similarly to a familiar face: Orlando Brown. He's more smooth and athletic, but it's easy to see similar paths to success for Paul as Brown did in Kansas City.
The value of having a starting left tackle on rookie money is something the Chiefs could use, especially with possible extensions for Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. The Chiefs are going to need to get more cost-effective on the offensive line.
Bottom Line
Patrick Paul is an experienced and accomplished left tackle prospect with unteachable length and above-average pass protection skills. He is susceptible to speed rushers and will turn 25 during his rookie season. With patience and quality coaching, he could be an above-average starting left tackle.