Draft Day is here. We made it. 12 hours from now, we will finally be able to put the speculation and predictions to rest as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reads 32 names off as first round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft,
But even with the draft just hours away, there is still so much that could change. The Tennessee Titans hold the seventh overall pick tonight and there's no telling what's going to happen in front of them.
So much of the Titans fate rests in the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers, who have the fifth overall selection and could really make Titans fans happy if some of Thursday's mock drafts are accurate.
As the draft has gotten closer, there seems to be less and less steam surrounding the Chargers trading out of the 5th overall pick to a QB-needy team. The Vikings, Broncos, and Raiders may not have interest in jumping up for J.J. McCarthy if the teams in the 7-10 range are not threats to draft him.
Los Angeles sticking and picking at No. 5 is bad news for the Titans. The Chargers are a threat to take either an offensive tackle or a wide receiver. Those are Tennessee's two biggest needs in the first round. If the Chargers were to trade out and four quarterbacks were to go in the Top 5, it would set the Titans up to have a chance at Joe Alt or Malik Nabers at No. 7.
But let's say the recent buzz is accurate and the Chargers are staying put. The latest NFL mock drafts are starting to believe LA could make a shocking selection that would make Titans fans very happy.
Peter Schrager, a host on NFL Network and Senior National Writer for FoxSports.com, is an example of this. Schrager dropped his final mock draft that had the Chargers taking Alabama OT JC Latham in the Top 5.
It would make sense. Rashawn Slater was a first-round pick out of Northwestern by the Chargers in the 2021 NFL Draft and immediately became one of the best left tackles in the league. Slater dealt with an injury in 2022, but returned and started all 17 games last season. He still figures to be a long-term left tackle solution in Los Angeles.
If the Chargers are going to add to the offensive line, wouldn't it make more sense for them to add opposite of Slater to the right side?
Joe Alt is a left tackle through and through. That's where his experience is. While a lot of tackle prospects cross-train nowadays, moving Alt away from the left side to a position he has never played comes with risk. Latham, on the other hand, is a plug-and-play right tackle option that would compliment Slater perfectly.
I've heard that a number of teams around the NFL are much higher on Latham than the general public. The Chargers could be one of them, and that could leave Joe Alt on the board for the Titans.
In my opinion, a world where both Alt and Nabers are off the board by the time the Titans are on the clock is the worst case scenario. But the Chargers can make sure that never happens if they pick Latham.
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