Miami Dolphins take developmental tackle in second round of NFL Draft | Opinion

For a team that’s supposedly focused on winning now, the Miami Dolphins’ first two picks of the 2024 NFL draft seemingly indicate the franchise also has its sights locked on the future.

Pass rusher Chop Robinson, the Dolphins’ first-round pick, is viewed as a developmental project who the team hopes will be part of a four-rusher rotation, and Patrick Paul, the Houston offensive tackle the Dolphins selected with the draft’s 55th pick, is a long and athletic lineman who needs some polishing before he’s ready to become an NFL starter.

If coached up, both players have the potential to become foundational pieces at critical positions in football.

“We are going to coach this guy to be the best player he can be, and he wants to be great,” coach Mike McDaniel said about Paul, who is 6-foot-7, 331 pounds, and not only has the longest wingspan in the 2024 draft class, but also bench pressed 225 pounds 30 times at the NFL combine.

“He’s got some strength and power,” Grier said minutes after selecting Paul, who spent the vast majority of his college snaps in pass protection, which means his run blocking technique will need some refinement.

Paul admitted he’s spent the draft process working on his hand use training with Duke Manyweather at O-line Masterminds, a Texas based training facility that’s used by offensive linemen.

“A big emphasis was hands, hand placement and striking,” Paul said when addressing what he’s focused on since December. “Understanding landmarks and how to use your length to your advantage.”

The hope is that Paul will learn from Terron Armstead, who was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl last season. They’ve already met, and Paul declares, “He’s a legend of the game.”

Armstead, who will turn 33 in July, has flirted with retirement for the past few seasons, and Kendall Lamm openly admitted this is his last season in the NFL when he re-signed with Miami earlier this month.

So Paul’s selection was about positioning the team for the future.

Paul has started 45 games at left tackle for the Cougars, and when the Dolphins brought him to Miami Gardens as one of the team’s 30 visits, McDaniel joked about how “most of the hallway is filled up than not” when the charismatic lineman was walking through the facility.

“I’m a sucker for a guy with length and hands, and knows how to use it….[He’s] an athlete that has the foot quickness to cut off the B gap or get to the four technique on the second level,” McDaniel said, discussing a running play in his wide zone scheme. “That is why we keep talking about the human being being tied to the player. We feel very confident that he is going to put in the work to master his craft.”

It’s clear that Miami selected Paul because he’s got the tools to become a starter, and has a solid floor with a promising ceiling.

But there’s some skepticism that Paul might not be ready to help Miami in 2024 unless injuries ravish the offensive tackle spot. And his length hints that the chances of him playing guard, the position of greater need for the Dolphins, are slim.

This offseason Miami replaced Connor Williams, who suffered a potential career-ending knee injury last year, with Aaron Brewer, signing the 27-year-old to a three-year deal worth $21 million.

Lamm, Isaiah Wynn and Rob Jones got re-signed to one-year deals. And Miami added Jack Driscoll, who can play right guard and right tackle.

The expectation is that Liam Eichenberg, Wynn, Jones and possibly Driscoll will compete for the two starting guard spots, and it seems that Miami’s decision makers are confident they have enough talent in-house to have a productive season, one that will help the Dolphins remain a top ranked offense.

However, Grier said the Dolphins haven’t ruled out continuing to address the offensive line in the draft, or through free agency.

“Chris and I both share the firm belief that you position yourself as best as you can to take the best available player and allow these players to kind of shape your team,” McDaniel said. “We have a room of passionate guys that we know are going to develop.”