First-Round NFL Mock Draft Selects Alabama Offensive Tackle JC Latham To Address New Orleans Saints’ Biggest Need
The trenches in both sides of the football are sure to be a massive focus for the New Orleans Saints this offseason. While free agent will likely provide some veteran options depending upon. Who does not return to their current teams, the draft has a very talented group of offensive tackles as well.
Marcus Mosher, writer with 33rd Team, selected one of those tackles for the Saints in his latest first-round mock draft. At pick 14, Mosher partnered New Orleans with Alabama’s dominant offensive tackle JC Latham.
JC Latham waits to take the field vs. Florida Gators.
Sep 18, 2021; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman JC Latham (65) against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The New Orleans Saints swung and missed on Trevor Penning, who wasn’t even the No. 3 tackle for them this season. With the future uncertain for Ryan Ramczyk, the Saints have to add offensive line help through the draft.
JC Latham is a monster offensive tackle, measuring in at 6-foot-6, 360 pounds. He might be best suited to play right tackle in the NFL, but that might not be New Orleans' biggest area of need.
Despite his size, a frame upon which he added 25 pounds ahead of his final season with the Crimson Tide, he moves very well. He’s known as a prospect that handles himself well in both the run and pass protection games who possesses the requisite athleticism to make it at the next level.
The Draft Network and Locked On NFL Draft’s Keith Sanchez gave the following overview of Latham in his scouting report:
JC Latham is an offensive tackle who checks all of the boxes when it comes to overall body mass, length, and strength. Latham has used this combination to be a consistently dominant offensive tackle for the Crimson Tide, providing great value in both pass protection and as a run blocker.
As all prospects do, Latham has improvements that need to be made as well when it comes to his game, but there are other intriguing matters that could present hurdles as a selection as well. Being that he has strictly played right tackle throughout his collegiate career, his selection by the Saints may be contingent upon the 2024 outlook in starting right tackle Ryan Ramczyk.
Ramczyk, a 2017 first-round selection, may have to undergo offseason surgery on his persistent knee condition. That surgery could lead to him not being available to start the season in 2024 and could even come with an early sunset regarding his career
Addressing the right side of the line could also be a good sign, depending on what happens in free agency, for third-year rookie left tackle Trevor Penning. The team continuously expressed their desire to see greater consistency from Penning, but kept him off the field for the majority of the 2023 season. Getting him back in action could answer some of the lingering questions surrounding his projection.
But overall, this selection would be a curious decision.
Latham does not fit the Saints’ typical prototype at the position. They tend to select tackles that weigh-in between 305 and 325 pounds. The Alabama prospect’s self-motivated decision to put on nearly 50 pounds since arriving in Tuscaloosa is admirable, but may take him too far outside of the typical mold in New Orleans.
The Saints may also have bigger needs on the opposite side of the line or in the defensive trenches. Prospects like Oklahoma left tackle Tyler Guyton, Florida State defensive end Jared Verse or UCLA edge defender Laiatu Lati, were all also available at the No. 14 pick in this mock. Each may be a better decision than Latham, without the context of work done in free agency.
