Initial Pro Comparison: Anthony Davis
Alternate Comparison: Less polished Penei Sewell
Alabama's JC Latham is the third offensive tackle on the B/R big board, and he stands a good chance of being the first pure right tackle off the board. The B/R Scouting Department's initial comp for Davis was former 49ers starter Anthony Davis.
Davis, a 2010 first-round pick out of Rutgers, was also a big (6'5", 323 lbs), powerful blocker who excelled in the run game, fired off the ball and had a tremendous base in pass protection. The 6'6", 342-pound Latham shares many of those traits.
Also like Davis, who got a late start in football before college, Latham (25 starts) lacks the experience of some of this year's top tackles. However, Davis never quite became a star at the NFL level, and Latham very well could. His upside is very similar to that of Detroit Lions All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell.
No, Latham isn't as refined as Sewell was coming out of college, but the two have similarities in size (6'5", 335 lbs for Sewell), play strength and balance. Both exited college at a young age—Sewell was 20 when drafted, and Latham turned 21 in February—but carried the baseline skills to quickly succeed in the NFL.
"Overall, Latham will be 21 years old throughout the duration of his rookie season in the NFL with a striking blend of size, play strength, power and competitive toughness to overwhelm defenders in the run and pass game," Thorn wrote.
Like Sewell, Latham can be an instant starter and a Pro Bowl right tackle within a few seasons. He may not go as highly as Joe Alt or Olu Fashanu, but Latham is a first-round talent and a logical pick for teams like Las Vegas, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Steelers, should Pittsburgh decide to move 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones to the left side.
