Notre Dames Ronnie Stanley celebrates after being selected by Baltimore Ravens as the sixth pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL football draft, Thursday, April 28, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The Baltimore Ravens used the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft on Thursday to selected Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.
The Stanley selection came as a surprise for both pro analysts and Ravens fans. While many expected the Ravens to use the top-10 pick on an offensive lineman—one of the team’s biggest needs entering the draft—few thought the top offensive lineman taken on April 28 would be Stanley. Instead, many thought that Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil would be the first blocker selected.
But a video posted on Tunsil’s own Twitter account hours before the draft appeared to show Tunsil smoking marijuana out of a gas mask attached to a bong. The video was enough to make several NFL front office executives stay away. NFL.com reporter Aditi Kinkhabawla tweeted that a member of the Ravens organization told her that the team removed Tunsil from their draft board entirely after it surfaced. Tunsil told CBS Sports that the video was taken years ago, and that his Twitter account had been hacked by someone looking to harm his draft status.
In this Oct. 24, 2015 file photo, Mississippi offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil (78) loosens up prior to his team’s NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in Oxford, Miss. Mississippi will investigate former offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil’s comments that he accepted money from a member of the football staff while playing at the school. The university said in a statement Friday, April 29, 2016, it is “aware of the reports from the NFL Draft regarding Laremy Tunsil and potential NCAA violations during his time at Ole Miss” and “will aggressively investigate and fully cooperate with the NCAA and the SEC.” Tunsil was selected 13th overall Thursday night in the NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Tunsil’s own stepfather filed a defamation suit against the player on Tuesday; the two were previously embroiled in a domestic altercation last year. He was also suspended by the NCAA last season for receiving improper benefits. His “character issues” scuttled his chances of perhaps being selected first overall; he was eventually drafted by the Miami Dolphins with the No. 13 pick.
The Ravens’ surprise selection Stanley, on the other hand, offered a squeaky-clean image and was rated by many football experts as just as good a blocker as Tunsil. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley reported that Ravens officials praised Stanley for his “maturity, dedication to the game and intelligence.”
At six-feet, five-inches and 312 pounds, Stanley has the ideal size, athleticism and skill to step in and take over the left tackle position for the Ravens immediately. Baltimore’s current left tackle, Eugene Monroe, is a talented veteran but has struggled with injuries, missing 15 games over the last two seasons. Stanley, on the other hand, has been noted for his durability, playing 33 consecutive games at Notre Dame.
“We know left tackles,” Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters. “We’ve been around some Hall of Fame left tackles. He’ll make us a better offense and a better team.”