The Miami Dolphins took Patrick Paul in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft (No. 55 overall), after the offensive tackle earned All-Conference honors three times in his four seasons at Houston.
Paul struggles as a rookie, earning a 44.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which put him No. 79 out of 81 qualified tackles in 2024. With questions about his future, Paul improved drastically in 2025, receiving a 66.2 overall grade and ranking 45th out of 89 qualified tackles.
Heading into his third professional season, Paul recently explained what led to his improved play last year during an interview with team reporter Travis Wingfield.
“Going from my rookie year to Year 2, I definitely had to take the offseason seriously, which everyone does, but I had to go another level with it,” Paul said. “Doing things that normally I wouldn’t do, push my body to limits that it hasn’t gone to. It definitely showed with the transformation. I felt a lot better. I felt a lot faster, quicker, stronger.”
After finding success last season, what’s Paul’s plan heading into 2026?
“Going into Year 3, I’m upping the ante even more,” Paul said. “I’m bringing guys along. Going with people and trying boxing, implementing boxing for the hands, keeping doing my Pilates. I think I’m at 150 classes, now, it’s solid core. So, just keep on going with it. Implemented yoga and different things to strengthen different body parts that you wouldn’t think are necessities.
“But Pilates with the balance, is everything we live in. We live in a stance where we have to be there. We have to be strong. We have to be agile, side to side. Doing those things to just get it implemented on the field. So, upping the ante. That’s what we did this year even more.”
Paul also revealed that Aaron Brewer is his boxing partner, but he assured Wingfield and all Dolphins fans that they’re safe when throwing punches at each other.
If Paul can prove to be a piece that Miami can build around, the Dolphins don’t have to worry about most of their offensive line for the next few years.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins OL explains how he drastically improved from Year 1 to Year 3
Reporting by Mike Masala, Dolphins Wire / Dolphins Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Masala, Dolphins Wire | USA TODAY Network
