Josh Conerly Jr. grew up a fan of Washington Commanders left tackle Laremy Tunsil. He mentioned Tunsil as one of the players he studied because of how dominant he was, particularly as a pass protector.
It should make Conerly happy to know that the five-time Pro Bowler is a fan of his as well.
"You know who I'm really impressed with, though? JC [Conerly]," Tunsil said after Thursday's minicamp practice. "JC's gonna be a dog, and I'm not just saying that just to blow smoke up his a**."
Though he's only been around the Commanders' facility for a few days, Tunsil can see what general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn saw when they drafted Conerly with the 29th overall pick. He believes Conerly has an abundance of athletic tools that will help him succeed, not just this year but for the length of his career.
And that gets him excited about Conerly's future.
"I can't wait to see it."
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders during Day 2 of mandatory minicamp.
With Jayden Daniels set up as the team's best asset for the foreseeable future, the Commanders drafted Conerly with the belief that they were providing their quarterback with an elite protector at the college level. Conerly excelled at that in Oregon, allowing just two sacks in the final two seasons with the Ducks. They also valued the type of competitor Conerly was and appreciated his dedication to improving his skill set.
"Just great feet, great lower body structure, great bend, and just super talented for a big man," Peters said after the team drafted Conerly. "And then you start hearing about the type of person he is, just human being. And then you hear about the type of football like person he is in terms of in the locker room, the leader, the worker, how routine oriented he is, how he's like a true pro already, despite being really young."
Tunsil agrees with all that and more.
"Just the way he moves, the way he bends," Tunsil said of Conerly. "He's athletic, smart, very intelligent. I think he's got all the tools to be a good player in this league."
Tunsil was one of the first players to reach out to Conerly after he was drafted and tried to FaceTime him that night. Conerly didn't get a chance to answer because of all the excitement that night, but Tunsil made it clear to the rookie that he wanted to help him succeed.
"I wanted to embrace him," Tunsil said. "Any questions you got, I'm here to help."
The relationship between Tunsil and Conerly is one of the things offensive line coach Bobby Johnson is most excited about this year. The fact that Tunsil was the first player to reach out to Conerly shows Johnson how seriously Tunsil takes being a leader to his teammates, and it presents an opportunity for Conerly to learn from one of the best players currently playing his position.
"He realizes he can be of great assistance to this kid," Johnson said. "That's the kind of brotherhood we preach here. I'm excited to see it grow."
It's unclear at this point how much, or where, Conerly will play as a rookie. He'll first need to earn his spot at either guard or tackle -- both spots that are occupied by veterans who started for the Commanders last season. However, with Tunsil providing him guidance, he should be ready for his chance when he gets it.
"With his reputation as a really good teammate and a guy who will help the younger guys from back when he was in Houston," Peters said, "that was one of the things we really liked about him."
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