The Tennessee Titans are officially on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. While Ohio State's Joey Bosa is widely considered the top prospect in this year's draft class, many believe the Titans will opt for Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Tennessee's offensive line allowed a league-high 54 sacks and finished sixth in QB hits with 105. That's not exactly a winning formula for developing young quarterback Marcus Mariota. As such, Sports Illustrated has Tunsil going No. 1 overall in their latest Mock Draft.
"Tunsil was not the top-ranked prospect on our last Big Board but he was close, and he will be there for many before all is said and done," Chris Burke of SI.com wrote. "It's rather easy to see the match here, too - Tunsil can be Marcus Mariota's blindside protector, while Taylor Lewan slides to RT. Tunsil's agility would only help him mesh with the mobile Mariota."
Though Tunsil may be the unsexy pick, he may be the best fit overall. He and Lewan would make for one of the better tackle combos in the NFL and help keep Mariota upright more often. However, not everyone agrees with this notion, most notably Titans tight end Delanie Walker.
"Our offensive line, they're too young. We don't need another young guy on the line," Walker told ESPN.
Walker is not wrong in his assessment. The average age of Tennessee's starting offensive linemen is 24.4 years old. While the team may have more pressing needs elsewhere, building a core of young and talented offensive linemen to protect an inexperienced and mobile quarterback is never a bad idea.
SI has Bosa going third overall to the San Diego Chargers.
"Ronnie Stanley would be awfully appealing in this scenario for a San Diego team crushed again by injuries up front - the gap between Tunsil and Stanley is tine, if there is one," Burke wrote. "But Bosa falling into the Chargers' lap at No. 3 would be a pleasant surprise. He's a scheme-versatile force who dominates opponents with his power along the line."
