Paul Rubelt – Bucs’ Next Developmental Tackle

In an upcoming Queipo’s Cover 4 article you will find I make reference to former Bucs right tackle Demar Dotson. Dotson started as a practice squad player with very little football experience and developed into an 11-year stalwart for Tampa Bay. And at 6-foot-9, Dotson was massive. Paul Rubelt bears striking similarities to Dotson.

At 6-foot-10 inches, he stands taller than Dotson. And as a German native, he was also late to football. Now the parallel isn’t perfect. Dotson played one year of college football before turning pro. Rubelt played five years at UCF, including two as a starter, but only started playing the sport when he was about 17 years old, which is much later than most players getting a chance to compete in the NFL.

The parallels between Dotson and Rubelt don’t stop with their backgrounds.

Paul Rubelt Physical Profile

Paul Rubelt is an excellent athlete for his height. At 313 pounds, he is extremely lean. But where most men of his size would struggle to move fluidly due to their longer limbs, Rubelt bucks the trend. He has impressive footwork and a strong core. These traits were on full display at his Pro Day where he impressed with his explosive testing and his 20-yard split and 40-yard dash times.

Rubelt’s testing is interesting because his 10-yard split is more average, but he gathers speed underway. The jump testing is more relevant in my mind as it shows how well he can get into his pass set and drive forward when run blocking. And his agility testing is interesting as he tested plus in the short shuttle but struggled on the 3-cone.

Paul Rubelt’s College Production

Rubelt started as a right tackle in 2024 before switching to left tackle in 2025. Over those two seasons he graded out as a strong pass protector who played inconsistently when asked to run block. Below the surface, the pass blocking dipped when he was left on an island in true pass sets.

Where Rubelt’s pass block grade, efficiency and pressure rates showed as plus overall, in true pass sets his pass block grade fell to the 51st percentile, his pass block efficiency fell to the 46th percentile and his pressure rate allowed fell to the 40th percentile. When scheme or help weren’t available to Rubelt he performed far more average than good.

Tale of the Tape

I watched Paul Rubelt’s final three games of 2025 against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and BYU. My overall thesis is that he is much like me when I walk into Home Depot or Lowes. Just about every tool is available, but neither he nor I don’t always know how to use them.

Pass Protection

Against Texas Tech, neither edge rusher David Bailey nor Romello Height beat him with pure speed for most of the afternoon, and the reason showed up on rep after rep. Rubelt uses his 35 7/8-inch arms to make contact early and steer the rush, pushing edge rushers up the arc and well beyond the quarterback’s launch point.

He pairs that length with a legitimate vertical set, getting real depth and redirecting speed rather than getting run up the field. When a rusher’s plan is to win the edge with get-off, Rubelt has the tools and the confidence to take it away before it reaches the pocket.

The inside counter is the answer to him, and Texas Tech found it. Both spins and quick changes of direction found room underneath his set, and by the second half it was a pattern rather than a flash. The mechanism is clean.

Rubelt sells so hard to wall off the speed rush that he leaves the inside lane open, and his change of direction is not sharp enough to recover once a rusher crosses his face. His redirect is often late, and he gets caught leaning too hard outside which leaves him susceptible to falling down on a strong shove as his opponent transitions inside.

The encouraging note that bodes well for his development is that his footwork and base are actually good so improvement can come with dedication to craft and good coaching.

The leverage piece is the more lasting concern. Rubelt’s height works against him, and when he plays too tall, he gives up his chest. Once a defender is into his frame, his lean build offers no anchor to recover, and he gets put on skates and driven backward.

It is worth noting Texas Tech was his worst game of the season, a 41.2 pass block grade that was part of a two-game dip, and he answered it with his best game of the year against BYU the following week. But the inside counters and the late edge loss to Bailey, the first all day, are the reps that show what a fresh, savvy rusher can still do to him.

Run Blocking

The same length and footwork that are foundational to his best reps in pass protection are the same traits that show up on his best run blocking plays. That is where the athletic profile starts to pay off. Rubelt works well on double teams, combining to the second level and finishing, and on one Texas Tech rep he climbed off a double with the tight end, drove the linebacker clear out of the frame, and kept his feet moving the whole way.

For a man at 6-foot-10, that kind of movement in the open field is rare, and it is the trait that gives his run game a real ceiling.

The trouble comes when the job is power instead of movement. Rubelt’s height and his lack of mass for that height hurt him when he has to match power at the point of attack, where a lower, denser defender can get under his pads and stand him up. That is the honest cap on his Rubelt’s blocking.

But his reach blocks are a genuine plus, and that is not a small thing. His length lets him get to landmarks other tackles simply cannot reach, which makes him a weapon in wide zone, able to cut off backside defenders and seal angles most tackles could only hope to. In the right scheme, the reach blocking alone is a reason to bet on him.

Paul Rubelt’s Honest Path Forward With The Bucs

What makes Paul Rubelt most intriguing is how he can fill a very specific roster spot that is reserved for an extremely small subset of players. Because he was born in Germany and played very little ball before college, he qualifies for the International Player Pathway program. Through that program he can occupy an additional practice squad spot just for those players, so he’ll make the practice squad this year with an exemption.

The Bucs can use that spot to continue to develop Rubelt while still using the rest of the practice squad for players who are more pro-ready to step up in case of injury. Bucs vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl noted the developmental arc he will need to follow when talking about him.

“He’s still early in his football journey and a little bit raw, but he’s a big dude that can move his feet pretty well,” Biehl said. “He’s got the size and length that plays in our league.

“He’s just an intriguing guy, basically a big ball of clay.”

Demar Dotson was once a big ball of clay, and the Bucs molded him into a foundational part of their offensive line. Last year Ben Chukwuma was a big ball of clay who the Bucs got serviceable play with a ton of upside out of him. Rubelt may just be the next ball of clay that transforms into an important part of Tampa Bay’s depth chart.