The Oakland Raiders are hopeful that second-year quarterback Derek Carr can develop into a bona fide franchise signal-caller. To aid his development, the Raiders hit a homerun with their first pick in Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper. He can be a go-to weapon for Carr from Day 1.
Now, the Raiders should start thinking about how best to protect Carr and keep him upright. What good is a franchise QB if he spends most of his time on the turf? Oakland's offensive line ranked in the top ten for sacks allowed (28) and QB Hits (56) last year but with so much roster turnover, adding another quality piece up front is a good idea. That's why WalterFootball.com projects the Raiders to take Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
"The Raiders are fine now at left tackle with Donald Penn stationed there at the moment. However, Penn is entering his contract year, and given that he'll turn 33 prior to the 2016 season, Oakland may want to find a long-term blind-side protector.
"Laremy Tunsil is expected to be the top tackle available for the 2016 NFL Draft, and he could really help improve Derek Carr's blocking over the next decade."
Projections this early rarely end up being accurate and it's entirely possible that the Raiders record this year will be better than expected. But if not, Tunsil seems like a quality pick (along with Ohio State DE/DT Joey Bosa). Locking down your left tackle for the next ten years would be a smart, responsible move for a team that has been a bit chaotic in recent seasons. Plus, it would give Carr an even better chance to succeed as a franchise QB in the making.
General manager Reggie McKenzie is putting together some real solid pieces in Oakland. Tunsil may be the next one.
