The Pittsburgh Steelers are almost midway through the 2023 season, but several needs are starting to pop up on their current roster that need to get addressed this coming offseason. Pittsburgh should look into finding a long-term running mate opposite CB Joey Porter Jr. with Levi Wallace in a contract year and Patrick Peterson starting to show his age. Center is also high on Pittsburgh’s list of needs, seeing as Mason Cole has regressed this season and the offensive line must be improved to better protect QB Kenny Pickett and bolster a sluggish running game.
While these needs are apparent for Pittsburgh to address, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports decided to go a different direction in his his latest 2024 mock draft, beefing up the offensive line by pairing the Steelers with Alabama OT JC Latham at 21st overall.
“Latham isn’t a freaky athlete but has as much strength as you’re going to see from a draft prospect playing tackle,” Trapasso said.
Latham is considered the top right tackle prospect in this draft class, a position that Pittsburgh could target early this coming spring as they could use a long-term replacement over incumbent starter Chukwuma Okorafor who hasn’t progressed the the level that Pittsburgh would desire in a quality starting tackle. Latham is a former five-star recruit and was the No. 1 offensive lineman in the country and the No. 1 recruit in the entire state of Florida in his class, speaking to the caliber of player he was coming out of high school. He’s only improved during his time with the Crimson Tide, being named a preseason All-American heading into the season.
Latham is a gigantic human being at right tackle, standing 6-6, 360 pounds and has impressive strength and power to boot. He uses that size and strength move opposing defenders off the line of scrimmage with relative ease, being a dominant run blocker while also showing a steady presence in pass protection. He has a thick base to anchor in against the bull rush and a nice blend of hands and footwork to stall opposing rushes on the edge who try to win with speed of finesse.
Pittsburgh has shown that they need to continue to add high-caliber talent to their offensive line to complete the overhaul they started two seasons ago, and selecting Latham would go a long way to completing that process. 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. Selecting him to place opposite of Broderick Jones would could set Pittsburgh at offensive tackle for the next half decade.
