2024 NFL Draft: Tennessee Titans Need a Left Tackle; If Not Notre Dame Giant Joe Alt, Then Who?

The Tennessee Titans have been busy in free agency, addressing roster weaknesses at wide receiver (Calvin Ridley) and defensive back (L'Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie). But the biggest priority may be blind-side protection for quarterback Will Levis. The NFL Draft is April 25-27.

NASHVILLE — Desperate for a franchise left tackle, the Tennessee Titans have options if they choose to address that position of need with the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Most mock drafts so far have the Titans picking Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt, considered by most experts as the top tackle in the draft. But what if the Los Angeles Chargers, two picks ahead of Tennessee at No. 5, take Alt? What if the Titans trade down and add draft picks?

As it happens, offensive tackle is one of the deepest positions in the draft, with most draft boards predicting from five to seven tackles selected in the first round. If Alt is gone, the Titans might consider Alabama's JC Latham, another favorite in mock drafts, or Georgia's Amarius Mims.

It's no secret the Titans need better pass protection. General manager Ran Carthon has already added reinforcements in free agency — wide receiver Calvin Ridley, running back Tony Pollard, center Lloyd Cushenberry — to support second-year quarterback Levis. But he still needs a big guy who has his back. Is that Joe Alt or someone else?

Here's a list of some of the best tackles available in April 25-27 draft.

Joe Alt
Notre Dame
Height: 6-9
Weight: 321
Details: Pro Football Focus (PFF), the sports analytics platform that evaluates every player and every play, graded Alt 90.7 last season and 91.4 the previous season. In 2023, he allowed one sack, two quarterback hits, and two hurries on 368 passing snaps for the Irish. Alt is the No. 5-ranked player — for all positions — on PFF's draft board.
Projected round: first.

Olumuyiwa Fashanu
Penn State
Height: 6-6
Weight: 319
Details: According to Pro Football Focus, Fashanu allowed no sacks and only 10 pressures on 382 passing snaps last season. He was a consensus first-team All-American last season and was the Big Ten offensive lineman of the year. Fashanu is No. 18 on PFF's overall draft board.
Projected round: first.

Taliese Fuaga
Oregon State
Height: 6-6
Weight: 332
Details: "Fuaga’s hand work is exceptional in pass pro and will need to remain so, because of his lack of desired range for recovering when beaten," Lance Zierlein said on NFL.com. "A team could slide him to guard to improve its interior protection, but he’s best-suited at right tackle, where he should become a good starter." Fuaga is No. 12 on PFF's overall draft board.
Projected round: first.

Troy Fautanu
Washington
Height: 6-4
Weight: 317
Details: Fautanu allowed three sacks in his college career on 1,255 pass-blocking snaps. Experts believe his flexibility, agility, and coordination make him capable of playing all five offensive line positions. Fautanu is No. 14 on PFF's overall draft board.
Projected round: first.

JC Latham
Alabama
Height: 6-6
Weight: 360
Details: "Latham is in the mold of an offensive lineman who does not come around often," Pro Football Focus wrote. "He will be just 21 during his rookie season, yet he has two years of starting experience in the SEC. Despite drawing 18 penalties over the past two years and having room to improve in some anticipation parts of the position, Latham is a first-round trench player due to his rare combination of size, speed and refinement." Latham is No. 19 on PFF's overall draft board.
Projected round: first.

Amarius Mims
Georgia
Height: 6-7
Weight: 340
Details: "It is very rare to see him clearly beaten by a rusher, and he has the recovery talent to do something about it when it happens," Zierlein wrote on NFL.com. "Mims has more development to go, but he’s a Day 1 prospect with the traits and talent to be considered at either tackle position. He has a high ceiling, but questions due to his lack of experience could temper early expectations." Mims is No. 22 on PFF's overall draft board.
Projected round: first.

Tyler Guyton
Oklahoma
Height: 6-7
Weight: 328
Details: "Guyton is a young, inexperienced and green tackle prospect with elite physical tools and flashes of dominance that can get him on the field right away," said Bleacher Report's NFL scouting department. "He can eventually bloom into a high-end starter in the NFL, but he will need to be brought along slowly in a conservative scheme and veteran O-line room before bridging that gap." Guyton is No. 30 on PFF's overall draft board.
Projected round: late first or second.

Graham Barton
Duke
Height: 6-5
Weight: 314
Details: "He has a mean streak in the run game with the leg drive to bury defenders," PFF wrote. "He is a good athlete off the ball and in space to be a successful second-level blocker. Barton struggles against power and will need to improve his anchor against interior defenders. He is experienced at tackle, but his foot speed and length are issues there." Barton is No. 25 on PFF's overall draft board.
Projected round: late first or second.

Jordan Morgan
Arizona
Height: 6-5
Weight: 312
Details: "He’s an elite athlete with impeccable leveraging skills, balance, and bend — and he didn’t lose any mobility in 2023 after returning from an ACL tear. There are still areas where Morgan can improve," Pro Football Network wrote. "He’s still fleshing out his run-blocking arsenal past pure zone concepts. Meanwhile, as a pass protector, he’s still learning how to win and recover with independent hand usage, and his non-elite length limits his margin for error." Morgan is No. 40 on PFF's overall draft board.
Projected round: late first or second.

Kingsley Suamataia
Brigham Young
Height: 6-4
Weight: 333
Details: "Suamataia has the physical tools of a starting tackle with an unrefined skill set that is built on flashes rather than proven consistency," Bleacher Report's Brandon Thorn wrote. "But he'll be only 21 when he gets drafted, and he has the runway to add polish to his game and bridge that gap within his first contract in an RPO/play-action based system that can help bring him along slowly." Suamataia is No. 45 on PFF's overall draft board.
Projected round: late first or second.

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