As the 2024 NFL Draft draws closer and closer — just 16 days away now — the picture is becoming clearer for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the draft in Detroit.
Chances are, the Steelers and GM Omar Khan are going to select an offensive tackle for the second straight year, giving the team a pair of bookend tackles to work with.
Names like Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, Washington’s Troy Fautanu, Alabama’s JC Latham, and Georgia’s Amarius Mims are all popular ones tied to the Steelers so far in the pre-draft process.
There is one player who would really help the Steelers get back to that old-school, dominate-the-trenches style that has made them so successful. That would be Alabama’s Latham.
Appearing on The Mina Kimes Show Tuesday, former NFL quarterback and current NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms said that Latham would be that guy to get the Steelers back to dominating the line of scrimmage.
In the mock draft podcast with Kimes, Fautanu (No. 7, Titans), Fuaga (No. 10, Jets) and Mims (No. 14, Saints) were all off the board. Simms had to pick between Latham and Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins at No. 20 overall and leaned heavily towards Latham.
“I love JC Latham. I think that’s where you go. I’m gonna go JC Latham there. Wiggins I like. I just don’t like him to the capacity of Latham,” Simms said regarding the selection of Latham in Kimes’ mock draft war room episode. “They drafted a corner high last year in Joey Porter Jr. I look at the O-line and go, a player like that coupled with the kid outta Georgia last year [Broderick Jones], they got something special working for Russell Wilson or Justin Fields in the future or whatever.
“And this could be the first time they can get back to being kind of the old Steelers dominate the line of scrimmage and get some one-on-ones on the outside for George Pickens.”
After trading up in the first round last year to land Broderick Jones out of Georgia, the Steelers would be wise to land a bookend for him in a guy like Latham, solidifying the tackle positions for years to come in the Steel City.
Latham would be a tremendous addition to the Steelers, especially with the ground-and-pound style of play they are leaning heavily into with two strong running backs in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s style overall.
The Steelers had a formal meeting with Latham at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, and head coach Mike Tomlin and GM Omar Khan were at the Alabama Pro Day to get a good look at a number of Alabama’s top prospects, including Latham.
While he’s not the flashy name like Fautanu or Fuaga in the draft class, Latham is arguably one of the best and surest things in the draft at offensive tackle.
In his scouting report for Steelers Depot, Jonathan Heitritter had this to say about Latham, comparing him favorably to Tampa Bay’s Tristan Wirfs:
“JC Latham is a rock-solid prospect who has plenty of positive traits on tape, as well as the starting experience in the SEC to make for a plug-and-play right tackle at the next level. He needs to continue to work on fine-tuning his technique regarding his hand placement and playing with proper leverage, but he’s shown to be a consistent pass protector against top-end competition while also excelling as a run blocker in Alabama’s rushing attack, excelling in a gap/power system where he should flourish at the next level.”
Latham would be quite the add for the Steelers, giving them that road-grading offensive lineman to help dominate the line of scrimmage moving forward as the Steelers try and get back to competing for Super Bowl titles.
