Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/680997
Stanley started for the Irish from 2013‑15, with the latter two coming at left tackle as a replacement for Zack Martin, whom the Dallas Cow‑ boys selected No. 16 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. For much of the nearly four‑month period between the end of the 2015 season and the NFL Draft, former Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil was viewed by most as the top player at the position (and even overall by some) in this year's class, but in the past couple weeks Stanley trended upward in mock drafts and, more importantly, in the minds of some front offices. Stanley was expected to be a first‑ round pick in last year's draft, but he opted to remain at Notre Dame for his senior season, a decision that paid off. Stanley is the left tackle of the fu‑ ture for the organization after the Ravens made him the first offensive linemen selected in the 2016 NFL Draft. (ESPN's Adam Schefter re‑ ported that Baltimore would have picked tackle Laremy Tunsil ahead of Stanley if not for the video of the Ole Miss product smoking marijuana while wearing a gas mask that sur‑ faced minutes before the start of the first round. Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh disputed this report.) Starting left tackle Eugene Monroe has missed 15 games the past two seasons, and the Ravens think they found a long‑term starter in Stanley 20 years after drafting Hall‑of‑Famer Jonathan Ogden. Monroe is entering the third year of a five‑year, $37.5 million contract. "We're going to let Ronnie go in there and compete with Eugene," of‑ fensive line coach Juan Castillo told The Baltimore Sun. "What we want to do is play the best five players. We're fortunate Ronnie is a very good ath‑ lete and good player, and so is Eu‑ gene. So we'll let them compete, and we know that we're going to play the best five guys. "The Ravens are all about compe‑ tition. Coach Harbaugh talks about that. It just makes everybody better." Although he is unlikely to see the field in 2016 due to nerve damage in his injured knee, line- backer Jaylon Smith was selected by the Cowboys early in the second round (No. 34 overall). PHOTO BY JAMES D. SMITH