The Washington Commanders could make their offensive line a family affair with a deft pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has the Commanders taking Houston offensive tackle Patrick Paul in the second round (No. 36 overall) of his latest seven-round mock draft, which would pair him with older brother Chris Paul, who started seven games on the offensive line for Washington in 2023.
“Forecasts have upward of 10 linemen selected in the first round,” wrote The Athletic’s Ben Standig. “Tackles are the main prize. With nine overall selections, including six in the top 100, it would be surprising if the Commanders passed on making a significant investment at tackle. Washington’s first shot at selecting an offensive lineman — assuming they hold the second overall selection to choose a quarterback — comes early in the second round with picks 36 and 40.”
Patrick Paul Has Tremendous Upside for NFL Teams
The measurables on Patrick Paul jump off the page — he checked in at 6-foot-7 and 331 pounds at the NFL combine, along with running the 40-yard dash in 5.13 seconds.
Patrick Paul was also productive on the field, along with being incredibly durable. He was a three-time All-American Athletic Conference pick and ended his career at Houston by starting 39 consecutive games.
“Long, athletic left tackle prospect whose pass protection is much further ahead of his run blocking,” NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “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. 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 an issue in pass protection. Paul should continue to add play strength, but he also needs to display better effort and full-time grit if he wants to square off against NFL run defenders and become a well-rounded left tackle.”
Chris Paul was a seventh-round pick by the Commanders in 2022 out of Tulsa. He started one game as a rookie and started seven games in 2023 at guard after an injury to Saahdiq Charles, who is now with the Tennessee Titans.
Brothers Playing Together in the NFL: A History
There have been a lot of siblings who have played in the NFL on different teams. Brothers playing on the same team is much more unique.
In recent history, Shaquil and Shaquem Griffin (Seattle Seahawks), Champ and Boss Bailey (Denver Broncos) and Carson and Jordan Palmer (Cincinnati Bengals) all teamed up.
On the offensive line, brothers Ryan and Matt Kalil played together on the Carolina Panthers.
The most successful brothers/teammates duo has to be Devin and Jason McCourty, who teamed up to win a Super Bowl on the New England Patriots in 2018.
“That would be a blessing,” Patrick Paul said when asked about the possibility of playing with brother at the Senior Bowl.
More importantly, it would give the Commanders’ much-needed depth at offensive tackle, where whoever ends up there will be called on to protect the future of the franchise in whichever quarterback is taken at the No. 2 overall pick.
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