The 2016 NFL Draft was a tumultuous one for former Ole Miss Rebel Laremy Tunsil and Ole Miss football. Therefore, the Rebels are hoping for an uneventful draft night this time.
You could catalogue on Twitter the moment the infamous Instagram was posted from Laremy Tunsil’s account. The shock and disbelief of what was being shown rocked the Ole Miss football fan base. Especially on the draft night Rebel fans had been waiting on for three years.
The video of Tunsil wearing a mask that was fit to be worn by a villain on Mad Max; Fury Road is still vivid in most fan’s mind. The smoke-filled bong that was connected to the mask told a story that has effected his life forever. However, it also added to the headaches the Ole Miss football team was already having.
That draft night was one that will be forever remembered by football fans. It is one that the Rebels would like to forget. It was difficult to celebrate the other Rebels getting drafted because the night was hijacked by that video. The joy of having three Rebels drafted in the first round was quelled by the embarrassment of that moment.
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The video ended up costing a few millions of dollars as Tunsil fell to the Miami Dolphins. However, he had a great rookie year and still ended up being paid better than most of us. All is well. The Ole Miss football program, however, is still taking shots from other fan bases about that night.
The 2017 Draft
Now we have come to another NFL Draft night. Again the Rebels have several players hoping to get their names called over the three-day draft period. Many fans are excited to see where TE Evan Engram will end up getting drafted. It will be great to hear his name called in the first round.
There are other players we expect to see during day two or three. Players like receivers Quincy Adeboyejo and Damore’ea Stringfellow hope to hear their name called. Defensive players like Fadol Brown and D.J. Jones also may end up on a team. However, let’s not forget QB Chad Kelly. Although injuries may have prevented him from having a productive pre-draft workout, his past prevented him from going to the NFL Combine.
You want to get pumped about this year’s draft. However as they say in the South, “Once bitten, twice shy.” Last year has us cautious. This school has become a lightening rod for bad news. The draft has become like every Ole Miss sporting event. You hold your breath until it’s over and hope for the best.
Therefore, we are hoping for a boring, uneventful draft night. No surprise videos. No disgruntled “professional” national newspaper writer trying to dig up old information in order to damage the Rebels. Here’s hoping for only one replay of the Tunsil incident. We are hoping to see the beginning of a great NFL future for all our former Ole Miss Rebels.