Laremy Tunsil coming to San Diego turning into a real possibility
By Travis Wakeman
A few weeks ago, it seemed certain that the Tennessee Titans would use the No. 1 overall pick of the NFL draft to select Laremy Tunsil, the big tackle out of Ole Miss. Now, it seems Jalen Ramsey is flying up the board and could be the guy the Titans draft.
Following his workout at the Florida State Pro Day, Ramsey said he’s the best player in the draft and he hopes the Titans see things the same way and use the first pick on him. Should the Titans take Ramsey, he would become just the second defensive back drafted No. 1 overall in history, and the first since 1956.
Jalen Ramsey to me on Titans: "They shouldn't take me bc I'm a Nashville kid. They should take me bc I'm the best player in the draft."
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 29, 2016
That doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Ramsey is a special player and the Titans have Taylor Lewan playing left tackle. Drafting Tunsil would give the team bookend tackles, allowing them to move Lewan to the right side. But adding Ramsey may be an even more intriguing idea, particularly with the secondary lacking any real stars.
This wouldn’t be a bad thing for the Chargers, either. After all, would the Chargers take Ramsey first overall? Not likely. In fact, the team would probably take Tunsil given the struggles of the offensive line last season. Adding Tunsil to a line that includes King Dunlap, Orlando Franklin and D.J. Fluker would give the team a much, much better unit than it had last season. Yes, there is the matter of the center position, but unless a guy like Ryan Kelly or Max Tuerk is drafted, general manager Tom Telesco seems fine with going with Chris Watt again.
At 6’5″ and 310 pounds, Tunsil is a terrific blindside protector. When watching him in action, it doesn’t take long for him to stick out and if you’ve yet to see that, go watch film and keep an eye on his footwork, athleticism and explosion. He is the type of guy who will help a team as both a pass-blocker and a run-blocker. He gets great pad level as a run-blocker and gets to the second level frequently.
Chargers asst. OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo, Patriots OL coach from 2014-15, getting a good look at OT Laremy Tunsil during Ole Miss' pro day.
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) March 28, 2016
It’s not often teams can find a franchise left tackle for the next decade, but the Chargers could have one fall into their lap with the third overall pick. This is of course assuming that the Cleveland Browns wouldn’t take him at No. 2, but all signs point to them grabbing either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz to be their new quarterback of the future. Certainly, even the Browns aren’t dumb enough to put all of their eggs in the basket of Robert Griffin III, right? OK, that might not be a great question, but we’ll go with the theory that they select Wentz or Goff.
That leaves it all up to the Titans. Do they prefer Ramsey or Tunsil? Either way, it seems the Chargers are in a win-win situation. The team will still need a pass rusher if it chooses not to select either DeForest Buckner or Joey Bosa. Should they draft Tunsil in the first round, players like Robert Nkemdiche or Jonathan Bullard would make sense in the second round.
The Chargers are going to get a special player one way or another in the first round, but if the Titans are starting to favor Ramsey, fans in San Diego should still smile about the thought of a guy like Tunsil wearing a Chargers jersey on opening day next season.