Tennessee Titans: Laremy Tunsil May Be No. 1 Overall Pick
By John Laird
Laremy Tunsil stole the show on March 28 at Ole Miss. He showed scouts his athletic ability that put him on another level compared to the other linemen participating in the pro day.
The Tennessee Titans brought a large contingent to the University of Mississippi to watch offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil for the Rebels’ pro day. And the massive blocker may have punched his ticket to the Music City.
Tunsil, by no means, hurt his stock during his work out in front of representatives from every team in the NFL. He was able to throw up 225 pounds on the bench 34 times, which would have ranked first during the combine. He showed his elite change of direction ability while carrying his huge frame. He was everything you expected out of a tackle who’s in consideration to be the first name called come the draft.
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Titans’ GM Jon Robinson came away impressed. When asked about Tunsil he responded, “He gets out of his stance quickly, and runs well, which is good. You can see him on some of those space plays… you can see it on tape when you watch it, him out running in space, trying to get a corner, trying to track down a safety.”(via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnLine.com).
The Titans have a glaring hole at one of the bookend spots. The team has already deemed current left tackle Taylor Lewan versatile enough to play either tackle spot, which opens up the door for Tunsil. With no other true starting caliber tackles, the pairing seems perfect.
Throw in there that the main reason current controlling owner Amy Adams-Strunk decided to rescind the interim label off of head coach Mike Mularkey was due to his ability to keep franchise signal-caller Marcus Mariota some what protected with the limited talent they had. Protecting the face of the franchise is the number one priority for the Titans this off-season, which is just another arrow directing Tunsil to Nashville.
The Titans had a pretty big group in attendance to see the Ole Miss product. According to Wyatt, Jon Robinson and Mike Mularkey were accompanied by offensive line coach Russ Grimm, offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie and a couple scouts at the pro day. It’s interesting that Grimm and Robiskie were there, giving the Titans many different views on Tunsil.
With the Titans drafting Tunsil, it only leaves one hole to fill up front which would be guard. That position could potentially be filled by former Denver guard Louis Vasquez, whom the Titans are still in contact with. Tennessee has recently signed under-rated center Ben Jones from division rival Houston. Jones comes in at the pivot, bringing a nasty, aggressive attitude, something every offensive line needs. Those moves would complete the overhaul of an offensive line who were amongst the worst units in the NFL.
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If the Titans don’t get a good deal for the first pick, selecting Laremy Tunsil is a very good back-up plan to have. Protecting Marcus Mariota and opening up more running lanes for former NFL Offensive Player of the year DeMarco Murray will only amount to more success. With a defense on the rise, Tunsil could very well be the piece to help this offense reach the next level, and help the Titans compete for a division title in the rebuilding AFC South.