Steelers Make Trade up to Land J.C. Latham in Mock Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers seem poised to try and land an offensive lineman in the NFL Draft this year, and it is becoming the likeliest option at 20th overall. However, which one ends up being is anyone’s best guess at this point. But many have mocked the team J.C Latham in the past, but it seems unlikely.

Listed at 365 pounds on Alabama’s website, he came in over 20 pounds lighter at the NFL Combine and looked nimbler than ever. And according to Adam Schefter, Latham has put together an impressive list of visits that includes the Bears, Titans, Cardinals, and Titans, signaling that Latham might be rising out of the team’s range.

And so, in his latest mock draft, Jordan Reid as the team moving up to the 16th overall pick and trading No. 20 and No. 84 to land Latham.

“Jones showed plenty of promise after taking over the starting right tackle role in Week 9, but his best projection might be on the left side. Upgrading from Dan Moore Jr., flipping Jones to LT and drafting Latham would give the Steelers two really good bookends on their offensive line. Latham fits the profile of the Pittsburgh offense, too; he’s a bruising and physical blocker who generates movement with ease at the point of attack,” Reid wrote.

Latham started at right guard before moving to right tackle for Alabama in 2022. A two-year starter at that position, he would likely play right tackle in the NFL and move Broderick Jones back to left tackle, where he played in college. Jones played right tackle in 2023.

Despite his size, Latham is no lumberer, and he is seen as a well-rounded player that can be elite in both run and pass blocking. In 915 pass-rush snaps as a tackle at Alabama, he gave up just two sacks, per Pro Football Focus.

Latham is one of the Steelers’ tackle options in the first round. While Penn State’s Olu Fashanu and Notre Dame’s Joe Alt are expected to be gone well before Pittsburgh picks, four tackles could be available in the back half of this year’s first round: Latham, Mims, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, and Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton.

Dan Moore Jr., the Steelers’ incumbent starter at left tackle, is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and Chuks Okorafor, who lost his right tackle job to Jones mid-season has been released, so it appears high time for the Steelers to make another long-term upgrade at tackle after trading up to draft Jones last year. But Latham might not be the option that will be there. And with more connections to interior offensive linemen, the team addressing center in the first round simply can not be ruled out.

From there on out, Reid would go back to plugging needs. It would be Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson in Round 2, and with the only third round pick, the Steelers would grab Sedrick Van-Pran Granger.

“George Pickens is the Steelers’ No. 1 receiver, but a lack of depth on the perimeter is evident. Wilson could quickly establish himself as the No. 2. He averaged 16 yards per catch over four college seasons, and his 12 TDs tied for ninth in the country in 2023,” Reid wrote.

To round out the draft, they picked Auburn’s D.J. James, a talented cornerback, and with their two sixth-round picks, added Florida State defensive tackle Fabian Lovett Jr. and Troy edge rusher Javon Soloman.