Ad Disclosure
Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil is a likely top 5 pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
That’s despite playing just 28 career games in Oxford due to a seven-game NCAA suspension in the ’15 season and his decision to enter the draft following his true junior season.
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, Tunsil’s athleticism reveals itself on film even to those who aren’t well versed in the nuances of offensive line technique. The left tackle also scored a touchdown against Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl on a pass from Chad Kelly.
On Wednesday, former receiver Cody Core — an East-West Shrine Game participant — told NFL.com that Tunsil was one of the five best basketball players on last year’s football team. That type of athleticism and ball skills normally is reserved for receivers and defensive backs.
“The guy could play tight end in the NFL if he wanted. It’s freaky,” Core said, according to NFL.com. “… He was top five on the team in basketball. Some guys can just shoot, but he can do it all.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. rates him as the best offensive lineman in the 2016 NFL draft pool, projecting him No. 3 overall to the San Diego Chargers.
“… adding Tunsil means they get an immediate starter,” Kiper wrote. “This kid is a flat-out gifted left tackle prospect.”
Ole Miss doesn’t return a single offensive lineman that started in the Sugar Bowl. But redshirt sophomore Sean Rawlings is a potential starter at tackle, and the team holds a commitment from Greg Little, the consensus No. 3 player in the 2016 class according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
It won’t be easy to replace Tunsil, but Ole Miss did manage a 5-2 record without him last season.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
