Was JC Latham the right choice at No. 7 for the Titans?
Even though the 2024 NFL Draft is done and over with, it's never too late to take a second, or even third, look at what teams like the Tennessee Titans made out with at the end of the event. Overall, the Titans walked away with seven new players to add to their roster, with no guarantee, only hope, that most will hit and become successes.
The Titans will need more than just hope after back-to-back double-digit loss seasons. They need to find a winning culture once again, starting with finding talented players. That's why new head coach Brian Callahan was brought in to inject a completely new approach to the team, ridding themselves of the past regime. Part of that approach was totally revamping the offense catered to Callahan's system, starting in free agency and carrying over into the draft a bit.
With their No. 7 overall pick, the Titans selected offensive tackle JC Latham out of Alabama. While the pick met a necessity, it doesn't come without its concerns, which is why it could turn out to be one of the team's draft mistakes in the end.
Titans settle for JC Latham when Malik Nabers was available
If you watched the Titans offensive line play last year, you would know that upgrading was definitely a need. Just ask former quarterback Ryan Tannehill and last year's second-round pick Will Levis. The team allowed 64 sacks last season and ranked as Pro Football Focus's worst offensive line in the league.
Finding a left tackle has been a trying situation for the Titans over the last couple of years. The Titans were hoping they could have solved that issue by drafting Notre Dame's Joe Alt. But new Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and his love for a big offensive line unit snatched up Alt before Tennessee could at No. 5 overall. That more or less left the Titans going with right tackle JC Latham.
Latham is a true right tackle that the Titans are now just hoping they can convert to Levis' blind side. That's not always an easy transition, especially for a rookie. The Titans are still developing last year's first-round offensive guard pick Peter Skoronski. So, should the Titans have selected LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers at No. 7?
The best player on the board was Nabers, sitting there at No. 7. With as much emphasis as Callahan and the Titans are placing on their offensive skill positions, it's a wonder they didn't draft Nabers. No doubt that protecting Levis is key to getting the ball to his playmakers, but Alt was their guy, and they missed out on him.
Not drafting a receiver until the sixth round
After choosing not to go after Nabers in the first round, the Titans didn't select a receiver until the sixth round, which was way too late to grab any of the notable ones. It didn't help that they didn't have a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
They selected Jha'Quan Jackson out of Tulane. Jackson is a versatile player who scored as a receiver, rusher, and punt returner. The Titans will be hoping that his speed and versatility will help him at the next level, but at 5-foot-9, 188 pounds, he's an undersized receiver.
Signing free agents Calvin Ridley and now Tyler Boyd to go with an aging DeAndre Hopkins and third-year player Treylon Burks were great additions. But finding another go-to receiver and one to eventually replace Hopkins would have boosted the receiver room not only now but for the future.
Drafting T'Vondre Sweat too high
For their second-round pick, the Titans chose Texas defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat. Even though he was coming off the best season of his career with the Longhorns, Sweat was entering the draft with some question marks. Only in his last two years has he played a full season, and last year he won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
However, just before the draft, Sweat was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Making a mistake as large as that just before you have the biggest opportunity of your life awaiting certainly raised some red flags. That, along with some of his other lacking skills, should have dropped him much lower in the draft. But the Titans chose to take a chance and draft the big space eater at No. 38 overall.
