With Dolphins tackle Terron Armstead possibly in his final year, the Dolphins needed to be looking for a potential replacement. They potentially found one in round two, with Houston tackle Patrick Paul.
After the pick was made, G.M. Chris Grier was asked about Armstread’s reaction to the selection.
“Terron is fantastic dealing with it,” Grier said. “We felt strong that we didn’t need to communicate with him on this because he knows — he’s always like ‘take an offensive lineman.’ The cool thing about him is he loves to mentor these guys. . . . He spends a lot of time and likes to pass it on to the younger guys. He will be very enthused to work with him, and we’re excited that Patrick is the right kind of person to come in and work with our group.”
Coach Mike McDaniel agreed.
“It’s funny, we kind of knew Terron would be excited,” McDaniel said. “How Terron views himself and how he’s become such a player in this league is Terron’s not worried about someone outplaying him. Just like how he came out from a small school and had people invest in him, he loves paying it forward. He’ll be the most excited. He might already have a jersey of his.”
It’s the right approach, from everyone. Armstead knows where things stand. The team knows as well. The lines of communication were open. The Dolphins, by all appearances, were candid. There was no surprise.
And it should have been no surprise to Paul that he was picked by the Dolphins. They loved him during his visit, and they got the sense he wanted to be there.
“The first thing Mike and everyone joked about when he came on his visit, he fills up the hallway when he walked in,” Grier said.
“No, seriously,” McDaniel said. “It’s like more of the hallway is filled than not.”
Will there be a point where the tackle position is too full and they’ll have to move on from Armstead before he’s ready? Possibly. But that’s how it goes. Every NFL team is a football machine with interchangeable parts. Every player eventually will be removed and replaced with a new one.
That’s why veteran players hold their breath during every draft. With each pick, the team could be acquiring the younger and cheaper replacement.
