Throughout the fall at Steelers Depot, we will be highlighting draft prospects the Pittsburgh Steelers may have interest in for the 2024 NFL Draft and their performance during the college football season.
The Alabama Crimson Tide won a close one in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, edging out the Arkansas Razorbacks, 24-21. The Tide got out to an early lead in this one, but Arkansas battled back, making it a game in the second half. Still, Alabama was able to rush for 177 yards and control the clock as it held onto its lead and walked out of Saturday’s SEC contest with another win to keep its CFP hopes alive.
The Film
One player that showed out for the Tide was RT #65 JC Latham. Having mentioned Latham in our college football recap series for the site, I took the liberty to go through his tape and break down several of his plays that stood out against Arkansas.
Latham was a big reason that Alabama was successful at establishing a strong ground game against the Razorbacks, using his powerful 6-6, 360-pound frame to move opposing defenders off the line of scrimmage with relative ease. Watch this run to the right side where Latham down blocks the defensive lineman at the top of your screen, working with the tight end to create a gaping hole on the right side that the runner exploits for an explosive run.
When it came to pass protection Saturday, Latham did a pretty good job keeping QB Jalen Milroe clean while the rest of the offensive line struggled. On this rep, we see Latham successfully neutralize the left defensive end on the pass rush, latching onto his shoulder pads while simultaneously mirroring with his feet. The left tackle ends up getting beat on the play, giving up the sack on Milroe but Latham wins his rep.
Latham is a physical specimen at tackle, but he also is a smart blocker who has good awareness to pick up exotic blitzes. Watch Latham successfully pass off the defensive end to the right guard and then pick up the defensive tackle on this pass set. That keeps Milroe clean in the pocket to deliver the deep ball on target to his wide receiver streaking down the field for the wide-open touchdown.
We got to see some nasty from Latham as well on Saturday afternoon, putting that impressive size and strength to the test. Watch this pass protection rep where he wins against the edge rusher immediately as he attempts to cross his face inside, Taking the defender, he chucks him to the ground like a rag doll as Milroe delivers the deep ball down the right sideline to WR Jermaine Burton for the completion.
Latham is a thickly built offensive tackle with the base and mass to anchor in against the pass rush and stall opposing defenders’ bull-rush attempts. We see that here on this rep. Latham stands up the defensive end who tries to bull rush him into the pocket, standing him up and bringing his rush to a halt while the rest of the defensive line gets home for the sack of Milroe.
Conclusion
While the rest of the Alabama offensive linemen took their lumps against Arkansas’ defensive line in pass protection, JC Latham looked solid. He showed us the combination of size, anchor, and blend of hands and footwork to stall opposing rushes, keeping his side of the line clean when Milroe dropped back to pass. He also was an effective run blocker, being able to overwhelm opposing defensive linemen at the point of attack and drive them off their spot to create big running lanes for the running backs to exploit.
The Steelers could use an upgrade at right tackle with Chukwuma Okorafor entering the final year of his deal next season, providing only mediocre play despite being a young, experienced blocker with the team. Latham looks like a Day One-ready starting right tackle that you can plug in as a rookie and count on him to generate a strong push in the running game while continuing to develop into a reliable pass blocker who can stonewall opposing pass rushers coming off the edge.
The Steelers would be wise to keep an eye on Latham the rest of the season and into the pre-draft process this spring, depending on how they feel about Okorafor. He will likely cost a first-round pick, but given his caliber and upside, Latham may be a guy that Pittsburgh looks to target to pair opposite of Broderick Jones and have its bookend tackles set for the next half decade.
