Fansided
Fansided

Laremy Tunsil Draft Day Misfortunes Paying Off in Miami

By George Stockburger

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Laremy Tunsil (Mississippi) is selected by the Miami Dolphins as the number thirteen overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Laremy Tunsil (Mississippi) is selected by the Miami Dolphins as the number thirteen overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Miami began cleaning house on Thursday and created some intriguing openings

Laremy Tunsil sat in a folding chair backstage in Chicago as he watched his dream of playing in the NFL slip before his eyes. The top offensive tackle in the draft had an incriminating video of him allegedly smoking marijuana released minutes before the draft clock began to tick.

Thanks to time and some trusted relationships Tunsil was drafted by the Dolphins as a luxury with the 13th overall pick. Ten months later Tunsil is projected to be the Dolphins starting left tackle in week one.

Miami released Tunsil’s veteran predecessor Branden Albert on Thursday in a flurry of cuts, saving them $7.2 million on their cap.

Veterans Mario Williams and Earl Mitchell were also relieved of their contracts with the Dolphins. All three of those players’ saved cap adds up to nearly $20 million according to Spotrac.

Nov 13, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) looks to pass while protected by center Mike Pouncey (51) and offensive guard Laremy Tunsil (67) during the second half against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Miami won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) looks to pass while protected by center Mike Pouncey (51) and offensive guard Laremy Tunsil (67) during the second half against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Miami won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

With Albert now on the free agent market Tunsil is free to move from left guard to left tackle, where he excelled at Ole Miss.

Now going full circle Tunsil has an opportunity to prove he was worth the risk on draft night and to be a piece of a playoff team in Miami.

Now that Tunsil is sliding to the outside of Miami’s offensive line the Dolphins need to address both guard positions in free agency and the draft.

Luckily the Miami the free agent guard class is exceptional. T.J. Lang, Luke Joeckel, Kevin Zeitler, and Chance Warmack will each by available.

Next: 2017 NFL Running Back Shift: Who Goes Where

When looking at the draft Miami is best suited to wait until the second round to get a quality guard. Dan Feeney, Forrest Lamp, Dorian Johnson, and Dion Dawkins are each candidates for the Dolphins to draft in middle of the second round.

Home/NFL Draft