New York Giants: The Risk They Needed To Take

With the tenth pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select Laremy Tunsil.

Can you imagine? As a New York Giants fan, that sentence plays in my head sometimes, and it makes me depressed.

This isn’t anything against Eli Apple, who showed a ton of promise in his rookie year. It’s mainly based off of position scarcity and value, based off what history has shown us. It also has a lot to do with just how good Tunsil is going to be.

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The NFL has an offensive tackle problem. With more and more spread offenses being utilized on Saturdays, less and less offensive tackles are ready for Sundays. When you wonder how Matt Khalil can land a $55 million contract with the Carolina Panthers, this is the reason. There just simply aren’t enough tackles to go around. Whether it’s lack of technique or just not enough talent, elite tackles are as rare as Halley’s Comet.

Here is the list of tackles drafted in the top-10 since 2010.

Trent Williams-2010

Russell Okung-2010

Tyron Smith-2011

Matt Kalil-2012

Eric Fisher-2013

Luke Joeckel-2013

Lane Johnson-2013

Greg Robinson-2014

Jake Matthews-2014

Brandon Scherff-2015

Ereck Flowers-2015

Ronnie Stanley-2016

Jack Conklin-2016

There are 13 top-10 selections in the past in the last seven drafts. If you look at all 32 teams depth charts, at least 30 of them could use another tackle, or are forced to start a mediocre one. The New York Giants know far too well how hard it is to find tackles, as the Ereck Flowers experiment continues to go badly. However, the success rate of tackles outside the top-10 drops to less than 40 percent. The position is just extremely difficult to find, and opportunities to get a great one are few and far between.

First-Round Cornerbacks In the NFL Draft Since 2010

Now let’s check out the corners drafted in the top10 since 2010.

Joe Haden-2010

Patrick Peterson-2011

Morris Claiborne-2012

Stephon Gilmore-2012

Dee Milliner-2013

Justin Gilbert-2014

Jalen Ramsey-2016

Eli Apple-2016

Seven drafts, and only eight top10 cornerbacks. The success rate is about 50 percent for this position as well. The difference between the two positions is that you can find great corners later in the draft.

If you were to name the top five corners in the game, how many would be on this list? One, maybe two if you live in Jacksonville and think you can see the future. Richard Sherman, Josh Norman, Malcolm Butler, A.J. Bouye, Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson are just a few examples of corners who didn’t go in the first round, yet are unanimously viewed as the cream of the crop at the position.

Comparing Offensive Linemen

Joe Thomas, Tyron Smith, Trent Williams are probably the most frequently named when thinking of the top tackles in the league over a long period of time. All three of whom where taken in the top 10 in their respective drafts. It’s not impossible to find late round gems at the position, but it doesn’t happen very often. The best at this position, are drafted like it.

Obviously, Tunsil would’ve come with some baggage. It’s understandable that a team would get cold feet after seeing this video. The New York Giants like to portray their strong character and morals to the public. Therefore, there was no way they could justify taking a player who smoked pot, I mean could you imagine the outrage from the public.

I’d have to imagine that the media and public would be a little more upset if the Giants had placed a kicker on paid-leave, after abusing his wife mentally and physically for years. Oh yeah, that actually happened. Tunsil isn’t a criminal; he simply made a dumb mistake.

So as the Giants embark on another season with minuscule talent at both tackle positions, I look back on the pick that could’ve changed it all. With Eli Manning’s time as a Giant dwindling, the Giants elected to blatantly ignore the chance at a future All-Pro player, at one of the most important positions in football. Why? To play moral police over some weed. So when you watch Eli  Manning being peeled off the turf this season, remember what could’ve been.

Laremy Tunsil Unplugged

You want to see another Laremy Tunsil video? Here’s a video of the Dolphins future All-Pro blindside protector, playing guard and some tackle, at the highest-level.

Versatile, smart, and gritty. Keep in mind this was the player that most draft experts and scouts saw as the best overall prospect in the class. The future is bright for this kid, just not for the Giants. Instead, the Giants will head into the draft desperately searching for another tackle. Unfortunately, the tackle depth for the upcoming NFL draft is frighteningly thin.

As for the corners, it may be the best CB class in recent memory.

This CB class is bonkers.