The Miami Dolphins have signed offensive tackle Patrick Paul, their second-round pick from the University of Houston, the team announced Tuesday.
The long-armed Paul, who is 6 foot 8, 330 pounds, is viewed as the eventual successor to Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead, the 11-year veteran who seems likely to retire after this season.
Paul’s signing means edge rusher Chop Robinson, Miami’s first-round pick from Penn State, is the only one among the Dolphins’ seven-man draft class that remains unsigned.
Paul, whose arms measure an impressive 36 1/4 inches, is being tutored by Armstead and veteran backup left tackle Kendall Lamm, two of the most seasoned players on the team.
It’s unclear whether Paul will be good enough to surpass Lamm to become the primary backup left tackle this season.
Lamm has played right tackle at various times, most notably in Miami’s 22-21 victory over Dallas last season. But he prefers left tackle.
At this point it seems plausible that Paul could be on the 53-man regular-season roster as the third-team left tackle behind Armstead and Lamm, or that he could be the backup left tackle with Lamm serving as the backup right tackle behind starter Austin Jackson.
Whatever the case, Armstead said he’s willing to share every bit of knowledge he can offer to Paul.
“I’ve had a short time with Patrick so far,” Armstead said. “I’ve seen some great things on the field, impressive for sure. Got a lot to learn, a lot of areas to improve in, but you see it — for sure you see the potential. You see why he’s here.
“Smart young man, but any and everything that I can possibly give, show, say, see is going to be offered to him.”
Other members of the Dolphins’ draft class that have signed include running back Jaylen Wright, the fourth-round pick from Tennessee, edge rusher Mo Kamara, the fifth-round pick from Colorado State, wide receiver Malik Washington, the sixth-round pick from Virginia, safety Patrick McMorris, the sixth-round pick from California, and wide receiver Tahj Washington, the seventh-round pick from USC.
The Dolphins concluded minicamp last week. They’ll gather again in late July when training camp begins.