Miami Dolphins left tackle Laremy Tunsil was the recipient of a little bit of love this week courtesy of NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger. Baldinger, a former NFL offensive lineman himself, referred to Tunsil as the “best young offensive tackle in the NFL today” as part of a lead-in to a 5-minute video breakdown on Tunsil’s qualities and what makes him so successful.
As promised, Baldinger did indeed deliver a longer video — and it is an excellent watch for Dolphins fans hoping to see some textbook pass protection. Tunsil’s performance is pretty incredible when you consider the futility of the Dolphins’ offensive line in general last season, a unit that conceded 52 sacks in pass protection.
Don’t blame Tunsil. As Baldinger points out, Tunsil has numerous pass sets (vertical, quick, 45 degree, etc.) at his disposal that he elects to use based on alignment, play call and the strengths of his opponents. And with so much athleticism and foot speed at his disposal, Tunsil was effective in 2018 against all comers — including the likes of Khalil Mack (Bears), Yannick Ngakoue (Jaguars), Jerry Hughes (Bills), Everson Griffen (Vikings) and others.
With the summer months bringing with them dozens of articles dedicated to ranking players — and those articles omitting Miami Dolphins left and right this year — getting some love is a refreshing change of pace. Kudos to Brian Baldinger for not going off of the name recognition, but actually checking the tape to see what Laremy Tunsil can do.
