What OL Chris Paul brings to the Washington Commanders

Taking a closer look at the skill set of the Commanders new offensive lineman

The Washington Commanders spent the first of their two seventh-round picks on Tulsa offensive lineman Chris Paul. Paul played a variety of spots during his college career, including spells at both guard spots as well as playing right tackle throughout his final year. Paul himself said if he had to pick, he would probably prefer guard and that’s most likely where he’ll end up in the NFL anyway. Unfortunately I was only able to get footage of two of Tulsa’s games this past season, but I was still able to get some understanding of what Paul’s game is all about. So let's take a closer look. 

The first thing that stands out when watching Paul is his hand placement. He consistently managed to get his hands placed in good positions from which to control a block in pass protection.

This play is a great example of Paul’s hand placement. Working at right tackle, Paul looks to cut off the rush to the edge from the defensive end. As he comes off the snap, Paul extends his outside arm and places it on the outside pec of the defender. This enables Paul to get control of the block as the defender no longer has a free path to the outside. Paul’s inside hand also lands in the correct spot and the defender ends up stonewalled, not having any counter as Paul dominates the block. 

Having good hand placement is essential for offensive lineman. Hand fighting in general is a key part of blocking at the NFL level. Good hands can make up for athletic deficiencies and they can also help a lineman recover after initially struggling.

On this play against Cincinnati, Paul struggles early on. The defender challenges him with speed to the edge and Paul gets opened up very quickly, abandoning his kick-slide to try and stay with the edge rusher. By abandoning his technique, Paul becomes vulnerable to a variety of moves, including a speed-to-power rush that the defender tries here. With his feet crossed over and body open, the defender could potentially drive him back if he can convert his speed rush to power. He attempts to do so, extending out his inside arm to attempt a long-arm rush. However, Paul’s hands bail him out. Paul gets his left hand under the elbow of the long-arm attempt. That allows Paul to lift it and force it off his chest, taking away the ability for the defender to drive him back. With that arm dealt with, Paul has an opportunity to recover his position and the defender ends up losing the rep.

Now, while Paul’s hands are good, they still have room for improvement at the next level. One key thing he’ll need to learn is how to separate his hands. He routinely looks to land a two-handed punch, throwing both hands at the defender at the same time. When this lands, it’s very effective, but it also leaves him very vulnerable to swipe moves.