The Tennessee Titans went for foundation over flash with the seventh pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. The team nabbed the second offensive lineman of the first round, seeking to protect their backfield assets.
With Notre Dame’s Joe Alt off the board two picks earlier, the Tennessee Titans gobbled up Alabama tackle JC Latham. Latham was just the second non-“skill” position taken among the draft’s first seven picks.
Latham played every snap at Alabama at right tackle, but given the Tennessee Titans’ desperate need for a left tackle, the team’s newest player may end up being switched to the opposite side of the offensive line. If so, the team could have the left side of their line locked up for years after taking left guard Peter Skoronski with its first pick of the 2023 draft.
Tennessee Titans Were Set on Alt or Latham
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Most draft prognosticators had the Tennessee Titans taking whomever the San Diego Chargers passed on at No. 5. Many has Latham actually going to the Chargers, who were equally in need of offensive line help, but had All-Pro Rashawn Slater at left tackle and could have played Latham at his natural right side.
As it is, the Chargers took Alt, leaving Latham heading to the AFC South. With the Tennessee Titans, Latham will be directed by one of the best in offensive line coach Bill Callahan. Callahan left the Cleveland Browns for the Volunteer State after his son Brian was named the Tennessee Titans’ head coach.
Latham was a two-year starter for the Crimson Tide. In almost 1,000 snaps as a pass blocker, he allowed just two sacks. He is one of the largest and strongest members of the 2024 NFL Draft class, weighing in at 342 pounds on his 6-foot-6 frame. However, he is known to be very nimble for his size and boasts quick feet while in pass protection. He did not participate in the NFL Combine or at the Alabama Pro Day.
The hope is that Latham can help the team’s suspect pass blocking. Andre Dillard, who started 10 games for the Tennessee Titans last season, was released in March after the team allowed sacks on 11.5 percent of dropback plays in 2023 — the second-worst percentage in the NFL.
Offensive Linemen are Favorite Picks of Tennessee Titans
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Latham is the sixth offensive lineman that the Tennessee Titans have taken in the first round since 2013. With Skoronski going in the first round last season, the team has now selected offensive linemen in the first round in back-to-back drafts.
Currently on the Tennessee Titans’ offensive line roster are: Latham, Skoronski, center Lloyd Cushenberry III, guard Daniel Brunskill and tackles Dillon Radunz, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Jaelyn Duncan and Leroy Watson.
Barring a trade, the Tennessee Titans have one pick on Friday during the second of three nights of the NFL Draft process. The team picks next in the second round at the No. 38 pick, and then has no third round selection as of now. Next up, the Tennessee Titans have one selection in the fourth round (No. 106), fifth round (No. 146), and sixth round (No. 182). The team also has two seventh round slots, picking at Nos. 242 and 252.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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