Former Houston OT Patrick Paul’s first challenge is matching Miami’s speed

Patrick Paul was drafted in the second round to be the Miami Dolphins left tackle of the future but there’s currently a pair of savvy veterans ahead of him on the depth chart. Under the wing of Terron Armstead, Kendall Lamb, and the rest of Miami’s O-line, Paul’s first goal since arriving in South Florida is keeping up with the offense.

“Honestly the first thing I’d say is just playing fast,” Paul said at last week’s minicamp. “This is a very fast offense as everyone knows. Just playing fast and understanding the coaching and understanding the playbook. I’d say that, playing fast.”

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa needed an average of just 2.36 seconds to throw last season — the quickest release in the NFL. The quick release combined with an improved effort from the offensive line translated to an average of less than two sacks per game.

“With the pass sets, it’s kind of just make sure your guy doesn’t get to the quarterback,” Paul explained. “So with that, just winning at all costs. Not really thinking about when the ball is being released, but just know you’re going to man that guy down even if it’s held for 10 seconds.”

Miami’s offensive line overcame waves of injury issues with nine players reaching at least 35 percent of snaps last season. Austin Jackson played a team-high 90 percent of snaps while Armstead and Lamm allowed five combined five sacks while playing most of Miami’s left tackle snaps.

“He’s a mentor of the game, so I’d say just the knowledge on what to focus on each day,” Paul said of learning from Armstead. “One of the things he told me that I can relate to is the small victories every day. Win your set. Don’t just try to get it all done in one day. Just stack days and improve 1 percent each day.”

“He’s a master of his craft,” Paul added of Lamm. “He’s a great person, very smart, very intelligent. He shows up every day and he gets after it. That’s someone that I respect a lot, and he teaches me a lot of stuff every day. Just seeing how he’s been able to consistently up his game is something that is very impressive to me. I love it.”

Armstead, a five-time Pro Bowler, will start while Lamm’s penciled in as the backup. Kion Smith, who appeared in five games at left tackle last season, is also under contract.

Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

At 6’8″, 331 pounds, Paul was considered “an unfinished project” after starting 39 games over three seasons at Houston, but won’t need to be thrown into the fire considering Miami’s depth.

It’ll be interesting to see how quickly Paul finds his rhythm in Mike McDaniel’s system. He was knocked for his technique in college, but that’s not necessarily something offensive line coach Butch Berry and the Dolphins prioritize. After speed, Paul — and his hulking frame — will focus on physicality.

“That was the No. 1 thing coming into OTAs – dominate the line of scrimmage and fire off the rock,” guard Robert Jones said of the offensive line’s focus last offseason. “We’ll work with technique and everything later, but we want to show our dominance in the trenches. We’ve been doing that every single day.”