The Oakland Raiders' offensive line did a surprisingly solid job of protecting rookie quarterback Derek Carr last season. The unit ranked sixth in the league in sacks allowed (28) and fifth in QB hits (56). But left tackle Donald Penn is 32, so getting their hopeful franchise QB a blind-side protector for the long-term is high on the To-Do list for the Raiders.
The best way to add a play such as that is through the draft. Although projections this far out rarely end up accurate, WalterFootball.com predicts that the Raiders will select Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil with the No .2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
"The Raiders got Derek Carr a No. 1 receiver in the 2015 NFL Draft, but they had to pass on what many considered the top defender, Leonard Williams. Sources with Oakland said that left tackle Donald Penn had perhaps the best year of his career last season, but the team did a lot of scheming to help him. With a new system and Penn aging, getting the Raiders a long-term left tackle for Carr makes sense.
"Tunsil has a ton of natural talent to be a blind-side protector. He was dominant in 2014 and arguably the best left tackle in the nation. Not only does Tunsil shut down pass-rushers, he gets movement in the ground game. Tunsil (6-5, 305) was one of the top recruits coming out of high school. As a freshman, he validated the hype when he broke into the starting lineup and became an ALL-SEC Second-Team selection by the AP. The conference's coaches had him as an All-Freshman performer, and he was also named a Freshman All-American according to many media outlets."
Again, we have no idea where Oakland will end up in the draft or what kind of season Tunsil will have at Ole Miss this year. But the pairing does make sense on paper at this moment. The Raiders are slowly but surely adding some foundational pieces to their roster. Tunsil could be the next one.
