Intended Trade Gives Steelers ‘Two-Fold Victory’ With ‘Massive’ RT
This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers are seeing an increasing trend that has nothing to do with the team’s quarterback position. Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings suggested the Steelers trade up to pick Alabama right tackle JC Latham in his most recent NFL mock draft.
In the mock draft, Cummings projected that the Jacksonville Jaguars would receive the No. 17 pick and a 2025 sixth-round choice from the Steelers in exchange for the No. 20 overall pick, the No. 84 selection, and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Latham was then selected by the Steelers at No. 17 overall.
The Steelers moved up from No. 17 to No. 14 in the 2023 NFL Draft to choose Broderick Jones, according to Cummings’ report. “In this 2024 NFL Mock Draft, they trade up to No. 17 for Alabama’s JC Latham, sniping him ahead of Cincinnati.”
On my board, Latham is a near-blue-chip talent whose acquisition gives Pittsburgh a double win. In addition to being a dangerous blocker, he permits Jones to shift to the left side.
The Steelers were expected to move up the draft board in search of an offensive tackle in both of the mock drafts conducted over the last week. Jarrod Cook of CBS Sports predicted that the Steelers would move up four spots in the draft to choose offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga from Oregon State.
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network believes that Pittsburgh would get solid value if they were to select either tackle in the middle of the first round. Fuaga is ranked No. 11 among all the prospects available in the 2024 class according to Jeremiah.
Rated No. 13 on Jeremiah’s big board is Latham.
“Latham is a massive right tackle. He has an enormous power base and taps into it in both the run and pass games,” wrote Jeremiah.
“Overall, Latham doesn’t have ideal foot quickness or awareness, but his size and physicality are very tantalizing.”
Steelers to Use the Same Approach in 2023?
Because they moved up for an offensive tackle last year, the Steelers will probably remain a contender in mock drafts. The New England Patriots received the Steelers’ No. 17 and No. 120 overall picks in exchange for the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft.
The New York Jets, who were reportedly interested in Jones, were surpassed by the Steelers thanks to that transaction.
The same is accomplished via Cummings’ suggested swap. The Cincinnati Bengals, who might be interested in Latham, would fall behind the Steelers by that amount.
The Steelers selecting Latham in the first round goes beyond simply replicating last year’s results, as Cummings contended. It expands upon Pittsburgh’s first-round selection in 2023.
