Since free agency, the debate for Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon and new head coach Brian Callahan has been between offensive line or offensive weapon in the 2024 NFL draft. Tennessee answered that question by selecting Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham with the seventh overall pick.
Carthon opted for protection for second-year quarterback Will Levis rather than try to bolster their weaponry on Night One.
"Yes, we're going to start (Latham) at left tackle," Carthon said after making the pick. "He's played right tackle at Bama. I know he's practiced at left tackle. He's taken reps there so it is not foreign to him. He's going to start off at left for us.
Right now, the starting offensive line is projected to have Peter Skoronski at left guard and Lloyd Cushenberry III at center. The first-round pick will be fast-tracked as a starter, but was a starter at right tackle in college. The Titans most glaring roster need is the left-side book end, however, and both Carthon and Callahan believe he can make the transition will relative ease.
Latham is a bull of a man at 6-6, 342 lbs.
A mauler for the Crimson Tide who swallowed up SEC pass rushers in protection possesses exactly the kind of nastiness that Tennessee's offensive line room has lacked since Taylor Lewan was anchoring the group as the eleventh overall pick in 2014. His strength is elite, but the question is primarily about his footwork to slide over to the left side if need be. Latham's availability is unquestioned, having never missed a game of practice because of injury in his career.
What fans in Tennessee should be re-assured by most is the presence of long-time offensive line coach Bill Callahan on his son's new staff. The senior Callahan will be critical to developing Latham in his new role.
Latham had a two-hour meeting with the Titans offensive line guru during the pre-draft process and glowed about it.
"I can't wait to be coached by (Bill Callahan) and pick his brain," Latham said on a Zoom press conference from the draft in Detroit. "Just understand what kind of guy he is on a personal level, but also understand the kind of environment that he's created which is technique and discipline. I loved it all and I'm really intrigued by it all."
Latham was the second tackle taken in this year's first round.
The Los Angeles Chargers chose Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt with the fifth-overall pick. While the New York Giants could have taken a quarterback to compete with embattled starter Daniel Jones this season with the sixth selection, they opted for LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers. Latham went to Tennessee with the next pick despite Carthon saying that the team had gotten "a ton of calls" from clubs interested in trading up.
The Titans own the 38th choice in the second round on Friday and are currently without a 2024 third-round pick. Look for them to look to add a pass catcher, a defensive lineman or an off-ball linebacker on Day 2.
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