The NFL Draft community largely believes that Houston offensive tackle Patrick Paul is a decent prospect who should go off the board sometime in the second or third round. According to the consensus big board, Paul is currently the 70th player in the rankings and the 10th-best tackle in the class. However, while the media and the NFL teams generally have similar big boards, there are always a few outliers.
According to Patrick Paul himself, a team could draft the tackle much earlier than the public believes. During a recent interview, the Houston product spoke about his draft stock and implied that he expects to be a first-round pick.
Houston OT Patrick Paul: “A lot of teams have way different draft boards than the public mock drafts… Expect to see me late Thursday.”
Paul tells us that teams have him as a top 32 pick and believe he’ll hear his name called on Thursday.
Listen here: https://t.co/kNFFhePGUh pic.twitter.com/qeG6LPQ7hW
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) April 22, 2024
Patrick Paul Offers Shocking Draft Prediction Regarding NFL Home
Before we get too far into this, we need to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Patrick Paul has every reason to try and inflate his draft stock heading into the big event. First-round draft picks get more money and more opportunity than Day 2 prospects, and if Paul believes this interview could trick a tackle-needy team into drafting him early, then it’s well worth the soundbite.
However, for the sake of argument, let’s assume that Patrick Paul is telling the truth about his draft stock. After all, it only takes one team to make someone a first-round pick. Back in 2022, nobody thought Cole Strange would be a first-round pick, and the guard has turned into a decent enough starter. It’s hard to anticipate anyone taking Paul with a top-20 selection, but some teams in the back half of the first round could use some help at the tackle position.
Possible Fits
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the best interior offensive lines in football, but they need some help at tackle. While Jawaan Taylor is locked in on the right side, they don’t have an answer at left tackle. The Chiefs currently have glaring needs at wide receiver, cornerback, and tackle, but if they deem that Patrick Paul is the best player on the board, then the team could solve their tackle problem with the 32nd-overall pick in the draft.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens traded Morgan Moses to the New York Jets in a cost-cutting move, leaving them without a clear answer at right tackle in 2024. While guys like Daniel Faalele and Patrick Mekari can battle for the starting job, Patrick Paul would offer more security as a first-round pick in the draft.
San Francisco 49ers
Left tackle Trent Williams is still a superstar and one of the best tackles in the game. Right tackle Colton McKivitz, however, is a replacement-level starter who might be better off as a backup. Patrick Paul might not win the starting job right away, but the NFL Draft hopeful will provide some much-needed competition. In a worst-case scenario, he could back up both tackle positions and eventually take over at left tackle when the age-36 Williams starts slowing down.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers will not use the fifth-overall pick to draft Patrick Paul. What they could do, however, is trade up into the back of the first round to select the Houston product. Jim Harbaugh wants an offensive tackle, but it will be hard to pass on Malik Nabers or Marvin Harrison Jr. With this trade, Los Angeles can address both of their needs in the first round and provide an optimal environment for Justin Herbert.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints need an offensive tackle. However, they also need more draft picks, as the team only has two picks in the first four rounds. New Orleans is a natural trade down candidate who could move back into the late 20’s, add a few Day 2 picks, and still draft a quality starter like Patrick Paul.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
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