The Laremy Tunsil-or-Ronnie Stanley debate will not end this spring, or this year, or after this next NFL season, probably, so while we try to distinguish truth from fiction in comparisons of the two tackle prospects, let us at least credit those who have submitted their hot takes early.
Former Ravens offensive lineman Wally Williams is Team Tunsil, gas-mask bong and all.
"When you draft a player — you saw the scouting combine and the way these guys move, and everybody knew that Tunsil was the better player going into the draft, bar none," Williams said during an appearance Thursday on WJZ (105.7 FM)'s "The Norris and Dave Show." "He was on everybody’s draft board as No. 1-rated player, and when you got the opportunity to get that kind of talent, I think you would go ahead and get that."
He added: "You will see this difference play out as these guys’ careers go forward."
Williams referenced a column by The Baltimore Sun's Mike Preston contending that Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome's NFL draft philosophy this year was risk-averse. Williams said team officials needed to show "a little bit more moxie" in how they decided on players. (Never mind that the Ravens used a fourth-round pick on a lineman who reportedly helped punch out an Air Force cadet.)
The mere existence of concerns over Stanley's toughness, Williams said, should have been enough to disqualify him from consideration for the No. 6 overall pick.
"You don’t ask that question, ‘Are you tough?’ Are you kidding?" he said. "I’m here, OK, and you’re going to see what happens. And I think that’s the consistent question [about Stanley]."
Now that Stanley is a Raven, however, there's only one thing to do, Williams said: Cut incumbent left tackle Eugene Monroe. Releasing him before June 1 would open up $2.1 million in salary cap room but also would create $6.6 million in dead money.
More importantly, the team would begin to realize whether its first-round decision (and Williams' opinion) was right or wrong that much sooner.
"I think you get rid of Monroe right now and put [Stanley] out there in the fire," Williams said. "Let’s see about this toughness. It’s going to be challenged, so why not just throw him out there, move forward as an organization? This is going to be the tackle, and we’re going to fill the gaps in with some other players at some other positions and get this thing rolling."
Listen to the full interview here.