On one of the biggest nights of his life, the University of Alabama tackle knew his name would be called in the NFL Draft, but he didn’t know exactly when.
He also knew NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently had back surgery.
So, when the Titans picked Latham with the seventh overall pick on Thursday night, Latham had controlled excitement while giving Goodell a big bear hug, lifting him off the ground.
“(Goodell) told me when I picked him up, don’t pick him up by the low back because that’s where he had the surgery,” Latham said after being picked. “So, I made sure I went up top. … Hopefully he’s OK. If not, I apologize. I hope he is (good).”
Latham said it was a great moment when the Titans called him.
“It was crazy,” Latham said. “I didn’t shed a tear. I just felt a sigh of relief, that this whole process is officially over. I am officially a professional player now. I almost shed a tear – my mom said my great grandma would be really proud of me, so that means a lot to me.
“It’s amazing (to be a Titan). I am ready to get to work. It means a lot for a team, an organization to trust me with the pick and I want to build on that trust, build on that foundation, and hit the ground running.”
Latham (6-6, 242) played in 41 games at Alabama over the past three seasons, with 27 starts. He was a first team All-SEC selection in 2023, when he started all 14 games at right tackle. Latham was also a second team Associated Press All-American in 2023.
According to Pro Football Focus, Latham allowed just two sacks in 970 career pass blocking snaps in his career.
Titans GM Ran Carthon told reporters in Nashville the plan is for Latham to start out at left tackle in Tennessee.
Carthon also told reporters in Nashville the Titans had a lot of calls at 7, but unless the team heard an offer that was going to blow them away, the team was going to stay put because the team wanted JC Latham.
Carthon said the team felt the Chargers would take tackle Joe Alt at 5, which they did.
“There’s not many people that walk the earth that are his height and weight and can move at his fluidity,” Brian Callahan said of Latham. “He’s a really unique player which is why he gets picked in the top seven picks of the draft. I’m just—I can’t wait to get him out there. He makes us a physically imposing, really left side of our offensive line when you put him with Peter (Skoronski) and Cush (Lloyd Cushenberry) and those guys. We’ve kind of taken some nice steps into really improving that unit.”
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter
