The Tennessee Titans selectedAlabama offensive lineman JC Latham in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He spent the last three seasons helping the Crimson Tide win two SEC Championships and reach the College Football playoff twice.
Latham was one of the top offensive linemen in the country last season as he was selected as a second-team All-American by the Associated Press, FWAA, The Sporting News and Walter Camp. He started all 13 games at right tackle this past season and 25 for his career. Latham had 41 knockdown blocks across 813 snaps of his junior campaign for an average of 3.2 per contest.
“He’s big, strong, physical,” former Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “He’s the prototype right tackle that everybody would look for in terms of having a power guy who is effective in being able to pass block well enough.”
Latham played high school football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida as a five-star recruit. He ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect and the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2021 class, according to theOn3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
What NFL Draft analysts are saying JC Latham
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided some analysis on Latham’s game in his recent scouting report of the offensive lineman’s draft profile. He compared Latham to Jawaan Taylor who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2019-2022. Taylor joined the Kansas City Chiefs this past season and helped the team win a Super Bowl.
Zierlein likes that Latham is built like a guard but plays like a tackle. But he’s concerned that Latham doesn’t have lateral quickness and can be impatient into first contact as a run blocker.
“Bulldozer in human form with the upper- and lower-body power to forcibly evacuate run lanes and instantly upgrade a team’s ground attack,” Zierlen wrote. “Latham’s body type is girthy, and he has elite drive-blocking talent. He has operated in a variety of run schemes but will be an average move blocker both laterally and when climbing to the second level.
“His pass sets are well-balanced with good initial quickness and active hands. He unleashes lefts and rights and mirrors effectively after contact but gets beaten by inside moves when he over-sets. He has the length and hand strength to shut rushers down but needs to become more comfortable setting diagonally rather than vertically to avoid sinking too deeply into his own pocket. Latham’s size, strength and talent give him a chance to become a heralded right tackle or Pro Bowl-caliber guard.”
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