Laremy Tunsil vs. Myles Garrett reveals value of Dolphins’ left tackle

In 2015, Laremy Tunsil and the Ole Miss Rebels faced off against Myles Garrett’s Texas A&M Aggies.  Tunsil won the day and his Rebels easily won the game.

The NFL scouting community was salivating over the opportunity to witness two of the college game’s greats go head-to-head.  A one-on-one between elite NFL prospects Laremy Tunsil and Myles Garrett would provide a rare opportunity for scouts to assess the two players.

It was the first game of the season for Tunsil, a junior at the time.   He missed the first half of the  2015 season as the NCAA investigated him for possibly receiving impermissible benefits.

Garrett, a sophomore, was taking the college ranks by storm.  In fact, he entered the game leading the nation in sacks and tackles for loss.

Since Tunsil was making his first start of the season, many expected that the Ole Miss staff would take extra measures to protect their star left tackle.  However, the opposite proved to be true.  They left Tunsil on an island all night, protecting QB Chad Kelly’s blindside from the tenacious Garrett.

There were no signs of a rusty or outmatched Tunsil.  In fact, Tunsil truly dominated the evening.

Repeatedly Garrett’s bull rush stalled against Tunsil’s power.  Furthermore,  Garrett’s highly-touted speed and agility proved no match for Tunsil’s nimble feet.

According to nfldraftscout.com:

"“Tunsil countered Garrett’s explosive initial burst with terrific initial quickness and balance of his own, mirroring A&M’s star edge rusher for much of the night.”"

With the exception of a first quarter holding penalty, Tunsil effectively neutralized Garrett’s attacks.  Garrett did make several outstanding plays in the game, but not once did he beat Tunsil to do so.  Ultimately, the big plays proved to be insufficient for the Aggies, as they lost 23-3 to Tunsil and the Rebels.  Here is an abridged version of that game.

Fast forward to 2017.  Tunsil is primed to make his return to his natural left tackle position.  Myles Garrett is the presumptive top pick in next Thursday’s NFL draft.

Garrett grades out as the best player in this year’s draft.  As a matter of fact, by most scouts’ assessments, it’s not even close.  This should really excite the Miami Dolphins and their fans.

After the quarterback, the left tackle is the most important position on the offensive side of the ball.  Based on what Laremy Tunsil displayed against Myles Garrett in 2015, the Dolphins may have one of the very best in the business.