Start with this: Laremy Tunsil is a heluva football player. An uncommon blend of genetics and hard work, it’s not every day that you see a man 6-5, 310lbs with the strength and athleticism that he has been blessed with. “Born to protect the quarterback” is what Scouts Inc. wrote about him, which is about as high a compliment as can be paid to a man who plays offensive tackle.

The first thing you notice about Tunsil is his feet and how quickly he gets into position to accept contact from a defender, all while maintaining his balance. And because he can run well for a big man, his ability to pull or penetrate into the next level of a defense and connect with linebackers and even defensive backs is outstanding. I imagine that if he were 30lbs lighter he could do a credible job as a tight end. He’s that good.

In less than an hour after the Dolphins drafted Tunsil, we saw his name being mentioned with the likes of Richmond Webb, the best left tackle in Miami Dolphins history and a deserving Hall of Fame candidate. Those comparisons are unfair to both men at this point in time, but it is a testimonial to the ability and potential for greatness that Tunsil brings to South Florida.

The beauty of this stroke of good fortune, aside from the fact that a player of his caliber has no business lasting until the 13th overall selection, is that he fills a desperate need on the offensive line. Though Tunsil is a left tackle, the Dolphins may start him out at left guard next to two-time Pro Bowler Branden Albert. It would be a great way for the rookie to learn on the job, watching one of the best in the business up close and personal at his craft.

In addition to addressing the need at offensive guard, Tunsil also gives the Dolphins much needed depth at Tackle should injury befall Albert or Ja'Wuan James (or both) as it did last season. Instead of Jason Fox, the 2016 Dolphins have the luxury of shifting Tunsil outside (should the need arise) without missing a beat.

So from a football standpoint, it’s backslaps and cheers all around. And no one is happier today than QB Ryan Tannehill. Poor Tannehill, who has taken a terrible beating in his four seasons as a pro; Tunsil must look to him like Moses coming to offer deliverance from a miserable lot.

But in order for this goodness to come to pass, Tunsil must clean up his act. Smoking marijuana and taking money and gifts as an amateur aren’t the sorts of decisions that endear him to football people whose careers are at stake. And it is logical to question whether or not there is more to his backstory, a question that should reside in the minds of everyone who watched this draft’s incredible turn of events unfold.

Tunsil was graded either first or second best on everyone’s boards, and players with that sort of regard rarely fall to the 13th overall pick. This is heavy stuff, people. Jeff Darlington, an NFL Network reporter formerly of the Miami Herald, reminded us in a tweet that “Pittsburgh didn’t take Dan Marino in 1983 because of drug rumors”. Of course we all know how Marino’s career turned out! And yet the immediate worry is that Tunsil could be the next Dion Jordan.

Jordan, who was suspended by the league for the entirety of the 2015 season, was another player who was graded first or second and also carried drug use concerns. Former GM Jeff Ireland foolishly brushed those concerns aside and made the decision to draft him. Today Jordan is regarded by many as the team’s biggest draft bust, a poster child for the consequences of misplaced trust.

Current GM Chris Grier, who served under Ireland, was quick to shunt aside any such analogy to Tunsil.

“We’ve done a lot of work. (Director of Team Security) Stu Weinstein – as you guys know – is one of the best security guys in the league, security directors. (We have) done a great job of researching (Tunsil’s) background. We spent time with him at the combine. Our area scout, Matt Winston, has done a great job in terms of researching him, spending some time with him at the pro day. This is a guy … He has done personality tests, all the stuff we do. This is a guy … He loves football at the end of the day. This is a guy who’s ultra-competitive (when) you watch him play. This is a different situation from (Jordan). This guy’s different. He’s built different.”

Just how Laremy Tunsil is “different” is not yet clear to those of us who don’t know him. And that’s where his journey as a Miami Dolphin begins.

Tunsil said all the right things in his inaugural press conference. He opened by recognizing that “It’s just a blessing to be in the green room, just to be a part of the NFL, just to be part of the Miami Dolphins organization. It was a solemn moment, but hey, I’m happy for everybody that went above me. Like I said, I have a chip on my shoulder, and I can’t wait to play football”. He went on to defend himself by saying that he never failed a drug test and “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. He expressed the right attitude by saying “Whatever position they want me to play, I’m going to give it my all”.

All of this is fine and dandy, and easy to say when money has yet to change hands. And while the Dolphins will probably write some very tough “good conduct” language into his contract, they can’t truly indemnify themselves from lost services when a player is suspended by the league as Jordan was and Ricky Williams before him.

For Tunsil, the real proof will come when words and deeds must shake those same hands. It comes one day at a time though Tunsil’s actions on and off the field. That’s how Laremy Tunsil earns trust as a Miami Dolphin.

Tunsil promised that “I’m going to show everybody I’m a great person”.

Here’s hoping.