The Miami Dolphins spent their second-round selection on Houston offensive tackle Patrick Paul.
The first two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins have been made, and the team’s needs have been mostly overlooked.
A group of fans got antsy on social media because general manager Chris Grier picked Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson and Houston offensive tackle Patrick Paul in the first two rounds, ignoring immediate team holes in favor of long-term needs.
“Dolphins GM Chris Grier said Patrick Paul was the best player on the team’s board at the time they picked,” David Furones of the Sun Sentinel and Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN both said on X.
It was also said by Louis-Jacques that “the Dolphins weren’t necessarily drafting for need.” Going on, “that tracks—tackle wasn’t an immediate need, but it will become one quickly once [Terron] Armstead retires.”
Dolphins Fans Fear Win-Now Window Isn’t Being Prioritized
Some Dolphins fans don’t agree with this, but those who don’t like the choice to pick Paul seem to want win-now possibilities. As Louis-Jacques put it, rookies who meet “immediate needs.”
That could be a guard, a defensive tackle, or a wide receiver for Miami, taking the place of Robert Hunt and Christian Wilkins and making the WR3 job better.
“The problem is, they needed contributors,” one fan wrote on X. “They have a situational edge who will play 10 snaps a game once everyone is healthy again and a tackle who needs work and can’t play guard.” I think this has been an absolutely terrible draft.”
Another replied, “Highest-rated player on their board? Oh… no..”
“We have so many needs, though,” a third wrote. “G, DT, DB, [shaking my head].”
On the flip side, some supported Grier and his choices.
“Here are the facts,” one person said. “No LT in this draft has more starts than Paul (44). He gave 1 sack in 2023. He was ranked the best LT (from the practices) at the Senior Bowl. [And he might not be ready for LT right now, but he [is] no more, no less of a project than the other LTs on the board.”
“He’s the 55th pick. Not the 5th pick,” another defended, regarding Paul. “He has flaws, but he has 44 starts at LT. 1 sack in 2023.”
Having said that, the negative reactions outweighed the positive ones after this decision. It’s becoming clear that a contingent of Dolphins fans are getting impatient with Grier, and it most likely stems from two first-round playoff exits after the franchise made blockbuster deals for Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey.
The underlying theme is: Can this team get over the hump?
Scouting on Dolphins’ Draft Picks Chop Robinson & Patrick Paul
We’ve heard from the GM and the players. Here’s what the experts were saying about Robinson and Paul ahead of the draft:.
“Robinson is an extremely twitched-up edge rusher with limited production,” NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah scouted during his final top 50 ranking. “He has average size but is incredibly explosive.”
“As a pass rusher, [Robinson] has excellent get-off quickness, but it looks odd because of his short/choppy steps,” Jeremiah went on. “He will cause more stress for OTs when he learns how to lengthen his stride and gain ground.”
He also viewed Robinson as “comfortable” in space when asked to defend and consistent against the run. “Overall, Robinson isn’t a smooth/bendy type of player, but his mix of speed and power provides a lot of disruption,” Jeremiah concluded, placing him 21st on his board.
Paul did not make Jeremiah’s top 50, ranking 120th, according to an NFL Network expert.
“Long, athletic left tackle prospect whose pass protection is much further ahead of his run blocking,” NFL Network colleague Lance Zierlein wrote. “Paul’s hands are more active than well-timed or accurate in pass protection, but he does a nice job of muting rush challenges with a decent anchor and an adequate mirror around the top of the arc.”
Continuing: “He’s high-cut with a tendency to bend at the waist into contact. He struggles to sustain and finish as a run blocker, but that doesn’t appear to be a problem in pass protection. Paul should continue to add play strength, but he also needs to show better effort and full-time grit if he wants to square off against NFL run defenders and become a well-rounded left tackle.”
