Miami Dolphins: Laremy Tunsil Immediate Reaction
Laremy Tunsil was once thought to be a possibility to be the number 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. But thanks in part to social media, fell to the Miami Dolphins at number 13.
The Miami Dolphins moved to solidify the offensive line for years to come by drafting Laremy Tunsil, a guard from Mississippi, whom many, myself included, had as the best overall offensive linemen available.
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The elephant in the room is the video that was posted to Tunsil’s Twitter account (now deleted) that showed him smoking what most would assume is marijuana. The video is reportedly as many as five years old, and Tunsil has never failed a drug test. The character issues were enough to drop him down several team’s draft boards, but the promise of a solid offensive lineman was too much for the Miami Dolphins to pass on, red flags and all.
It’s no secret that the Miami Dolphins have been struggling up front for many years. Branden Albert is aging and has had nagging injuries for years, the guard play has been among the worst in the league for years, and Juwan James has been solid at times, but has really struggled at others. All this has led to Ryan Tannehill being the most sacked quarterback in the league since 2012.
With Laremy Tunsil, the Miami Dolphins get a rock to solidify the offensive line, as well as provide the team with some options in the case of poor play or injury.
Bringing Tunsil into the fold gives the Miami Dolphins a tackle who is a stalwart pass protector, and has decent run blocking ability. As I pointed out in my article about offensive linemen, Tunsil is adept at getting to the second level and blocking linebackers and defensive backs.
The addition of Laremy Tunsil to the Miami Dolphins offensive line likely means he’ll start out his career as the right tackle, opposite left tackle Branden Albert.
Placing Tunsil at right tackle shifts free agent signee Jermon Bushrod inside to guard, which will greatly improve the Miami Dolphins guard situation.
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The pick also gives Miami flexibility in the event that Branden Albert goes down again with injury. Tunsil was a left tackle during his career at Mississippi, and was my top offensive lineman in the 2016 NFL Draft under the assumption that he’d be a left tackle at this level, too.
Should Albert have to miss a game (or several), Tunsil should be able to kick outside, shifting Bushrod back to his natural tackle position.
Whether it’s at left tackle or right, the person who is the happiest about this pick has to be Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill has come under fire, and rightly so, recently for not playing up to the level fans think he should be, and a lot of that has to do with the line that has been placed in front of him. Tunsil immediately makes the Miami Dolphins offensive line better. How much better remains to be seen, but this is an instant improvement and Miami Dolphins fans everywhere should be happy they selected him with the 13th selection in the 2016 NFL Draft.
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It remains to be seen what the Miami Dolphins do with the rest of the 2016 NFL Draft, as there are plenty of holes to fill on both sides of the ball. The second day of the draft should be interesting for Dolphins fans looking for the team to improve their secondary and the pass rush.