J.C. Latham scouting report: Exploring the Alabama OT's strengths and weaknesses

The number one offensive tackle recruit in 2021, J.C. Latham was a backup as a true freshman thanks to insanely strong book-ends for the Crimson Tide, before taking over the right tackle gig the following season. He did the same this past season when ascending to a first-team All-SEC performer and a second-team All-American.

J.C. Latham scouting report

Run-blocking:

• Offers the density and pure mass of an NFL guard, but pairs that with 35-inch arms and shocking movement skills in relation to his measurements
• Has a massive amount of raw force in those 11-inch hands to displace defenders in the run game
• On the front side of inside-oriented concepts, the torque he can create with the inside hand and get edge defenders towards the opposite hip, to open up the B-gap definitely stands out
• Routinely can get underneath the shoulder or armpit of interior linemen and ride them down the line
• Can unlock his lower half to dig guys out of the lane on combos – you see him and his guard legitimately move guys like 330-pound brickhouse Nazir Stackhouse from Georgia five yards back
• Does a great job of stepping vertically and dropping the back-side shoulder into a down-linemen the tight end is trying to seal away from the action without limiting his ability to secure blocks on the second level
• Even if he can’t latch his hands perfectly onto targets in the defensive backfield, he’s regularly able to still move them off their landmarks
• Earned a career-best PFF run-blocking grade of 79.6 in 2023

Pass-protection:

• Urgent out of his stance and is a pretty smooth mover with around 340+ pounds to counter different types of approaches in pass-protection
• Tremendous feet and ability to frame rushers, to mirror twitchy defenders
• Can soften the charge of rushers and cut off angles for them with his hands in effective fashion, along with regularly baiting guys with fake stabs with the outside hand, forcing them to commit
• When he gets his hands inside the chest of rushers and his elbow in tight, guys just aren’t getting away from him anymore – he puts them in a cage
• Along with that ability to lock people up, he’s really quick to stab with the outside hand and then latch the other one
• Gets into a wide base to slow down bull-rush attempts and you’re not going to be able to flatten at the top of the rush against him if you have to go through him
• Offers good eye-balance and feel for timing, as he makes sure to pass off slanting D-ends to his guard and peel off late with a wide step to guide slot blitzers past the quarterback
• If defenders he’s engaged with lose their balance or lean too far into him, Latham will snatch-trap them to the turf a couple of times per game
• Was responsible for just two total sacks (both in 2023) and 12 other pressures in each of the past two seasons – 960 combined pass-blocking snaps)

Weaknesses:

• Because he can rely on the natural strength in his upper body so much, Latham doesn’t always perfectly center his blocks and get his feet aligned all the time in the run game – backside cut-offs have been an issue at times
• Tends to go too flat down the line of scrimmage and overstride a little bit at times on the front side of run concepts and allows edge defenders to work around him, to throw off the timing
• Edge rushers who can threaten the corner with speed end up crossing his face quite a bit, as he opens his hips too far toward the sideline
• Occasionally gets caught up with wanting to get a piece of both guys when the defense rushes someone to either side of him with the guard sliding the other way, instead of just taking care of the inner-most threat
• Was penalized a massive 18 times since the start of 2022

Similarly to Penn State’s Olu Fashanu, I believe Latham too often is judged based on one play without looking at the big picture. He didn’t seal a defender on the backside urgently enough on the final play of the Rose Bowl vs. Michigan, but let’s not ignore that he legitimately had one bad snap the entire time of regulation that day.

He already uses his outside hand exceptionally well to throw off guys coming off the edge, keeping them guessing whether he’ll initiate contact. Latham has the potential to be the top tackle from this class by year three as a pro.

Grade: Mid-first round