For 90 Cap -

280 base +16 merits + 28 in gear - 324 enhancing skill on Pld, 28 damage mitigation

Rdm - 341 + 0 merits + 79 in gear - 420 skill, 5/5 merits is 32 damage mitigation.

Rdm Phalanx 2 at 5/5 is ~12% better than Paladin unless I got my numbers mixed up.