Should the Cleveland Browns select Laremy Tunsil at No. 2?

The Cleveland Browns should not hesitate to select Mississippi tackle Laremy Tunsil if he is available with the second pick in the draft.

The departures of Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack from the Cleveland Browns left fans with a sour taste in their mouth. The team had $40 million in cap space and letting go of two of their best overall players, both formidable linemen, solidifies the fact that Cleveland needs to address the offensive line in the draft.

Having 10 selections in the 2016 NFL Draft is a sigh of relief and not a bad place to start when rebuilding … sorry, recharging … a team. Browns head coach Hue Jackson doesn’t have the word rebuilding in his vocabulary, and sticking with the recharging theme, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil of Mississippi is a great player to help start the process.

The Tennessee Titans have been pegged to select the standout offensive lineman in nearly every mock draft until recently, as  Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey has seen his stock surging. But on Monday, during Mississippi’s Pro Day, Tunsil’s freakish capabilities were put on impressive display.

Dan Brugler of CBS Sports has the 21-year old as the No. 1 overall rated prospect and says injury is Tunsil’s only enemy:

"“On the field, Tunsil is a nimble big man with a rare athletic skill-set for the position, showing above average balance and flexibility to easily bend, handle speed and absorb power at the point of attack. He’s not a perfect player, but his flaws are more nitpicking than true weaknesses and potential injuries are the only obstacles keeping Tunsil from being one of the better left tackles at the next level.”"

Of course, Tunsil fractured his fibula in the Peach Bowl against TCU in 2014 and has had minor injuries since then that are his largest threat to being a star NFL player.

At 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds Tunsil’s potential is unlimited, and his physical skill set along with his football IQ is a diamond in the rough for NFL general managers. He’s a rare commodity that a team can build an offensive line around, something that no NFL team understands more than the Cleveland Browns.

Left tackle Joe Thomas is now 31 years old and has crystallized Cleveland’s offensive line ever since his arrival as the third overall selection in the 2007 NFL Draft. While Thomas, a nine-time Pro Bowler who is still playing at an elite level, he is also  on the tail-end of his career as her enters his 10 season in the NFL. If a team trades up for the Titans’ No. 1 pick to select a quarterback, or if they simply select a player aside Tunsil, Cleveland should without a doubt consider drafting him at No. 2.

Although Tunsil played left tackle in college, he’s physically and mentally versatile enough to play at right tackle for his first few seasons while Thomas finishes out his Hall-of-Fame career. Outside of Thomas, guards Joel Bitonio and John Greco are the only other offensive linemen who have played well.

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Cam Erving, the 19th overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, is expected to replace Alex Mack at center after a terrible rookie season that often resulted in Erving on his back. Although he played left tackle and center in college, he filled in for Bitonio at guard and clearly wasn’t used to it. So perhaps moving him to center with a full off-season will refresh Erving’s mental state and have him ready to improve in 2016.

Austin Pasztor could be the guy at right tackle this season for the Browns, and he did pretty well last season for them. He is a good enough player to get by with, but is not a player you’ll have a Top 10 line with.

The more you think about the Browns selecting a quarterback at No. 2 the more you think about Mack and Schwartz leaving, resulting in a situation where Robert Griffin III, Carson Wentz or Jared Goff are going to get pounded by the defense.

Out of every franchise, one would think the Cleveland Browns would know more than all that an NFL quarterback is as good as his offensive line lets him be (see Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden, etc.). If Tunsil is passed over by the Titans with the No. 1 overall choice on April 28, the Browns should jump at the opportunity to draft the offensive tackle from Ole Miss.