Predicting where Laremy Tunsil will play for the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins’ surprise first-round pick — Laremy Tunsil — will be the center of attention throughout mini-camp and into the regular season for multiple reasons. Besides the public’s curiosity of how he handles the aftermath of his twitter hack/smoking situation, those who have a vested interest in his ability to immediately help the Miami Dolphins offensive production will be more concerned with where he lines up and how productive he is during his rookie season.
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Let’s first take a look at the pros of starting Laremy Tunsil at left guard in 2016. By starting the 6’5”, 315-pound prospect out of Ole Miss, you are arguably playing your top five most skilled offensive lineman in front of fifth-year signal caller, Ryan Tannehill.
With four of the five projected starters being former first-round draft picks — Branden Albert, Laremy Tunsil, Mike Pouncey, and Ja’Wuan James — the Dolphins will have finally given Tannehill the most secure offensive line he’s seen since joining the league in 2012.
Assuming this is Miami’s best option for a starting five on the offensive line, there will be no excuses for a lack of production on the offensive side of the ball in what may turn out to be a make-or-break season for Ryan Tannehill.
Also, considering the fact Tannehill will be surrounded with familiar faces at wide receiver and tight end in 2016 while also having additional potential playmakers in Leonte Carroo and Kenyan Drake, it’s safe to say there will be very little patience shown by the Miami Dolphins fan base who have been waiting for an offensive breakout for what seems like an eternity.
Starting Tunsil at left guard will give him in-game experience in his rookie season while also having the opportunity to learn from Branden Albert who has been — when healthy — one of the most consistent left tackles in the NFL since entering the league.
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Moving forward, Miami will have a decision to make regarding the aging Albert which may include either parting ways or moving him over to left guard and letting Tunsil move back to his natural position. But for the time being, it seems like the Dolphins front office and coaching staff is planning on keeping Albert at left tackle in 2016.
As for the cons of using Tunsil at left guard this season, you could say that it’s a crazy idea for Miami to have one of the most highly touted natural left tackles change positions his rookie season.
Several draft analysts and scouts graded Tunsil as the best left tackle prospect in recent history. Having him play out of position may seem like having him take a step back in his development as a blind side protector.
With the recent struggle of offensive guard play in Miami, I feel safe in saying that Tunsil playing out of position at left guard will be remarkably better than what we’ve seen from the likes of Dallas Thomas over the last couple seasons. Is that reason alone enough for moving the person you selected to hopefully be your left tackle for the next decade to guard for a season?
I won’t argue with the coaches decision if that’s what they decide to do since the last thing I’m interested in watching is another season of Dallas Thomas getting blown up into the backfield and destroying plays before they even have a chance to develop.
So for the time being, let’s hope Laremy Tunsil’s draft day social media debacle gets lost in the shuffle of continuous NFL news and that he can find a way to contribute in 2016, regardless of position.
READ MORE: It’s time for media to layoff Laremy Tunsil
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