Profile: Gladimir Paul
High School: Northeast (Philadelphia, Pa)
Height/weight: 6-2, 205
Ranking: Rivals 2*, ESPN 3*, 247 3*
Additional offers: UCONN, Temple
The skinny:
Aside from a name that sounds like it belongs in The Lord of the Rings, Paul brings a good pass rush skillset to Virginia. Though he played DE in HS, he's more likely an OLB in Jon Tenuta's defense. He's a pure pass rusher, with good speed and enough strength to deliver a good pop on an OT.
Paul's problem right now is that he's simply too small to play the role. Listed at 6'2" and just 205 pounds, Paul is very lean. He's wiry and strong, so adding 30-40 pounds shouldn't be too much trouble. Once he gets his weight up, assuming he is able to keep his quickness, he'll be ready to perform out on the field. He could be a Max Valles type (not as athletic as Valles), with quickness to rush off the edge, but enough strength to also hold at the point of attack.
If he does put on the weight successfully, it is possible he could move back to DE. For one thing, the Hoos have a dearth of DEs on the roster right now, and Paul has experience at the position. He'll never be a big DE, but size isn't as valuable in Tenuta's defense anyway.
The above video is Paul's senior year highlights. Here are some junior year highlights.
What you see is an attacking lineman. On almost every play in the video, he is moving into the backfield at the snap. There isn't a lot of finesse to his game, he's just going at the QB. The problem, again, is that he simply isn't big enough to play that role right now. Paul will require a redshirt year, and perhaps another year or two after that before he's ready to step onto the field.