These rookies could be players for the Tennessee Titans in 2024.
Heading into 2024, few teams are as unpredictable and, therefore, exciting as the Tennessee Titans.
With second-round pick-turned-starting quarterback Will Levis locked in place and a new head coach in Brian Callahan, the Titans could win eight games, could win the division, or could be picked at the top of the 2025 NFL draft in the pursuit of a brand new quarterback of the future.
Exciting stuff? For Titans fans, surely, especially after watching the team load up on incredible talents in the 2024 NFL draft, including an offensive lineman who will almost certainly start for the team for the next decade, and a massive monster on the defensive side of the ball with the potential to become not just a fan favorite but a long-term stater with a truly unique player profile.
These rookies could be players for the Tennessee Titans in 2024
2. J.C. Latham will push defenders at left tackle
Heading into the 2024 NFL draft, fans wondered how the Tennesee Titans would use pick number seven.
Would the team opt to address their biggest need of the offseason, replacing disaster free agent signing Andre Dillard with someone one of the top tackles in the 2024 class? Or would the team opt to pick a defensive tackle and do something creative like moving 2023 first-round pick Peter Scarantski to tackle, especially if the top player at the position, Joe Alt, was already off the board?
Well, as it turns out, the Chargers decided to stick with the former whether he was the team's top player on the board or not and made J.C. Latham their new left tackle of the present and future without so much as the need for a traditional tackle competition to earn the spot.
“JC has maybe the best energy of any person on this team,” offensive coordinator Nick Holz told NBC Sports. “His energy is infectious. He’s done a really nice job with his footwork. He’s improved and is playing under control. He’s so big and so strong.”
Now granted, could something happen that impacts Latham's readiness for Week 1? Sure, seemingly every player in the NFL is a bad step away from an extended injury absence, but if the Alabama product remains healthy, there's little reason to expect him not to be the starter in Week 1, Week 8, Week 18, and for years to come after that. Why? Because there simply aren't very many men in the world who stand almost 6-foot-6, 342 pounds with 35-inch arms and 11-inch hands who can move opposing defenders around like he does. After years of uncertainty at the position, it would appear Tenessee has found a good one and is expecting to keep him around for a very long time.
#Titans J.C. Latham vs potential top-ten pick Mykel Williams pic.twitter.com/Ig0YUlP8ou
— Hail Mary Sports (@hailmarysportss) May 21, 2024
1. T'Vondre Sweat will push Keondre Coburn at nose tackle
Much like J.C. Latham, there are few men on earth who are as big as Keondre Coburn, the nose tackle the Titans brought into the fray last season to man the nose tackle position.
Did Coburn do a good job for the Titans last fall? Sure, though the sample size was small at just 98 snaps, the former sixth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs did enough to be part of the Titans' roster heading into the future.
And yet, for everything encouraging about Coburn's season, it's hard to imagine he'll start over T'Vondre Sweat this fall, especially considering how natural a fit the Texas product is for the nose tackle position.
Standing 6-foot-4, 366 pounds at the draft combine, Sweat is one of the biggest players to ever stand in the middle of a defensive line, with his weight falling in the 99th percentile and his 11-inch hand size coming in just two percentile lower at 97 according to Mockdraftable. While Sweat wasn't the top defensive tackle on his team, his size is unique at the collegiate and NFL level, and, as a result, he should have the inside track to make an impact in 2024, assuming he is up for the challenge.
Now granted, one issue that may keep Sweat from being a Week 1 starter is the fact that he didn't appear for camp a few weeks back, but as head coach Brian Callahan noted in an interview with reporters, they weren't too worried about his absence, as they know he'll show up to work ready for training camp.
“He’ll get his work over the summer. He’s got a plan in place, and I’m confident that he’ll execute it,” Brian Callahan told reporters via All Titans. “Biggest thing for him is working still and getting in shape, ready to roll. He’s obviously working, not in front of everybody, but he’s here working. He’s not getting the full feel of work, but he’s here, and he’s getting his work in. Anticipating him being ready to roll, and we’ll see what he’s got in training camp.”
Could Sweat end up falling short of expectations due to off-the-field concerns? Potentially so, as he has already been arrested for a DUI this year, but considering his talents and size, it's safe to say Tenessee will give him every chance to succeed.
#Titans 2nd RD pick DL T'Vondre Sweat in drills: pic.twitter.com/2PzddunW3F
— Kayla Anderson ✨ (@KaylaAndersonTV) May 10, 2024
