Miami Dolphins Steal Laremy Tunsil With No. 13 Pick In 2016 NFL Draft

The Miami Dolphins were hoping to get an impact player in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, but even they didn’t expect to get one of the top players in the draft. Laremy Tunsil was widely expected to be a top-three pick, but a photograph on his social media accounts ended that chance. Instead, he dropped all the way to the No. 13 overall pick, where the Dolphins were happy to steal him.

As the draft was getting set to begin, a photograph of Tunsil surfaced after his account was hacked. It was a photo of him smoking through a gas mask. That alone made him drop extremely fast, and he ended up being the third offensive lineman taken in the draft.

Laremy Tunsil was once thought to be a top-5 pick. That just went up in smoke. pic.twitter.com/qmfDUqxWqE

— The Will Cain Show (@WillCainShow) April 29, 2016

Tunsil was publicly grilled by the media after being drafted by the Dolphins. It was tough to see him go through that kind of media scrutiny on what should have been one of the best nights of his life. Despite all of the media pressure, Tunsil remained calm and answered questions professionally.

He said that the photograph was indeed him, but he added that it had been taken a couple of years in the past.

#WelcomeToTheFamily pic.twitter.com/wYbp3umGFF

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) April 29, 2016

That said, the Dolphins are getting one of the best if not the best talent in the entire draft class. They have to feel very good about bringing Tunsil in to be part of their offensive line. He is going to jump into a starting role immediately, and the sky is the limit for him with the potential that he possesses.

Standing 6’5″ and weighing 310 pounds, Tunsil is a colossal presence from a physical standpoint. He also possesses impressive quickness and above average athleticism. Tunsil was an absolute stud for the Ole Miss Rebels and made life easy for his running backs and quarterbacks.

Miami was needing to find more protection for quarterback Ryan Tannehill and will need the offensive line to help create a running game as well. Lamar Miller walked away in free agency, which has opened up a hole to say the least. Jay Ajayi will likely get first crack at the bulk of the carries, which could end up working out just fine if the offensive line does its job.

There are a lot of things that Tunsil can take away from this entire situation without losing the enjoyment of being drafted into the NFL. He learned that he needs to cut that aspect of his life out – if it hasn’t already been cut out – and perhaps a lesson was learned about social media as well. Players have to be very conscious about their social media accounts and in some cases have to stop using them.

Laremy Tunsil’s Draft Day fall potentially lost him up to $13M pic.twitter.com/z0mKO1vVh6

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 29, 2016

Looking into the future, the Dolphins are going to see Tunsil work his way into being a superstar offensive lineman in the next few years. Comparisons have been made to Tyron Smith for him.

A lot of pressure will be piled on Tunsil immediately due to the issues that he is going through as well. He cannot afford to slip up at all away from the game of football. Tunsil has to have tunnel vision on his game and keep himself away from any situation that could turn south.

Expect to see Tunsil get his life back on track and to see him shrug these issues off and become the star that he was originally expected to be.

What do you think of Laremy Tunsil heading to the Miami Dolphins with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft? Will he be able to put aside the off-the-field distractions moving forward? Let us know in the comment box below!

[AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast]