Titans use No. 7 pick on Crimson Tide OT Latham
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans hope they finally have fixed at least one offensive tackle spot by taking JC Latham of Alabama with the seventh pick of the NFL draft on Thursday night in Detroit.
Latham will start out at left tackle alongside left guard Peter Skoronski, Tennessee’s top pick a year ago.
First-year Titans head coach Brian Callahan said not many people walk this earth who are as big as Latham at 6-foot-6 and 342 pounds while also being able to move well.
He called Latham a really unique player and can’t wait to see the former Crimson Tide standout alongside Skoronski and center Lloyd Cushenberry III, who was signed in free agency.
“He makes us a physically imposing really left side of our offensive line when you put him with Peter and Cush and those guys,” Callahan said of Latham. “And we’ve kind of taken some nice steps in really improving that unit.”
General manager Ran Carthon said the Titans got “a ton” of calls from other teams looking to move up and trade picks in the draft. They knew who was going to be available at No. 7.
“We just let those teams know that unless it was an offer that was going to blow us away, it wasn’t worth making a move,” Carthon said.
The Titans gave up 64 sacks in 2023. Only the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders and the New York Giants allowed more, and the Titans have to protect quarterback Will Levis better with him as their starter going into his second pro season.
Carthon once believed Andre Dillard could anchor the Titans’ offensive line, signing him to a three-year deal in March 2023. Dillard couldn’t hold on to the left tackle job, though, as the Titans wound up starting four players at that spot in a 6-11 season that cost head coach Mike Vrabel his job after six years in Nashville. Dillard was cut earlier this offseason.
The Titans also started three different players at right tackle last season with Nicholas PetitFrere suspended to start the season. Skoronski started 14 games at left guard after being the No. 11 pick overall a year ago.
Latham started at right tackle the past two seasons for the Tide, who won the Southeastern Conference title game against Georgia, then lost to eventual national champ Michigan in the Rose Bowl, a College Football Playoff semifinal. Latham, who was an AP All-SEC player in 2023, spent two hours with offensive line coach Bill Callahan when he visited the Titans ahead of the draft.
Brian Callahan said his father, a former NFL head coach now on his son’s staff, liked Latham a lot with his power, athleticism and ability to anchor with “gigantic hands.” Carthon told reporters to be sure to shake hands with Latham when the Titans introduce him in Nashville on Friday.
Asked to show off his hands on a Zoom call from Detroit with reporters in Nashville, Latham held up his right hand, which was measured at 11 inches by the NFL. Bill Callahan also made clear to Latham that the Titans would put him at left tackle if they drafted him.
“That was the expectation, you know, I was athletic enough to get the job done,” Latham said.
The Titans made a splash at receiver by signing Calvin Ridley in free agency, adding him to a group that already included DeAndre Hopkins, who had 1,057 receiving yards last season in his first year with Tennessee. Now Callahan’s job is giving Levis more time to throw for an offense that ranked 29th in the NFL in averaging 180.4 passing yards per game last season.
“If we can keep our quarterback on his feet, we’re going to have a better chance to get those guys the ball,” Callahan said. “And from where we are now, what we needed? It was a perfect fit.”