Tag: J.C. Latham

ESPN NFL Draft Scout Matt Miller releases 2024 NFL Draft predictions

ESPN NFL Draft expert predicts five members of the Crimson Tide to be 2024 NFL first-round draft picks

The 2023 college football season is coming to a close with bowl season officially underway. California and Texas Tech kicked off the Power Five games in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl this past Saturday where the Red Raiders rolled the Golden Bears 34-14. It won’t be until after Christmas Day that we start seeing some of the ranked games, and we are still 13 days until the Crimson Tide play.

Alabama is playing as well as anyone in the country rolling into the semi-finals, and lord knows they are just as talented as anyone. In fact, they are so talented, that ESPN NFL Draft expert, Matt Miller, currently projects that five Crimson Tide players will be selected in the first-round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Under the guidance of head coach Nick Saban, Alabama has produced a staggering 44 first round picks in 15 consecutive years dating back to 2009. Of those 15 years, 12 of them have had multiple picks in the first round so it should come as no surprise to see the Tide dominating again in 2024.

Broncos select OT J.C. Latham in 2024 NFL mock draft

Draft Wire’s latest 2024 NFL mock draft has the Broncos selecting offensive tackle J.C. Latham in the first round.

In his latest 2024 NFL mock draft for Draft Wire, Jeff Risdon has the Denver Broncos selecting Alabama offensive tackle J.C. Latham with the 16th overall pick in the first round.

“Latham is another player with a lot of potential who is difficult to predict where he comes off the board,” Risdon wrote on Draft Wire. “Denver’s lack of depth and need for more consistent pass protection is a savvy landing spot for the Crimson Tide strongman.”

It’s a somewhat surprising pick for the Broncos given that Garett Bolles (31) is signed through the 2024 season and Mike McGlinchey (28) is signed through the 2027 season. Denver will need to begin planning for the future at some point, though, and Lantham could prove to be a valuable long-term option at tackle.

Before the Broncos’ pick, quarterbacks Drake Maye (No. 1 overall), Caleb Williams (No. 3), Jayden Daniels (No. 7) and Bo Nix (No. 11) flew off the board. Another QB — J.J. McCarthy (No. 22) — was also picked in the first round after Denver’s pick.

Risdon has the Bronco sticking with Russell Wilson and adding more depth and competition on the offensive line in 2024.

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2024 NFL draft: Three Alabama players receiving first-round projections

2024 NFL draft look ahead seems quite promising for the Tide

I know, I know, we aren’t even complete with the 2023 NFL draft yet, but just for fun, let’s look ahead. The 2024 draft class is going to be special. Caleb Williams, quarterback for USC, and Marvin Harrison Jr., wide receiver for Ohio State, are widely regarded as two of the best prospects at their respective positions in the past decade. As well as having some insanely high-end talent, the draft is very deep with 20 players already receiving first-round grades according to On3 Sports.

It is well-documented that Alabama has dominated the draft under the guidance of head coach Nick Saban, and 2024 will be no different. During Saban’s time in Tuscaloosa, he has had 44 players drafted in the first round compared to only 27 losses. I mean that’s just bonkers.

As things currently stand, the Tide have three players receiving first-round grades in OT J.C. Latham, EDGE Dallas Turner and CB Kool-Aid McKinstry. Even a year away, it is pretty hard to imagine any of these guys playing themselves out of a first-round grade.

The Tide have also landed two first-round picks via the portal in Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs and I don’t think Saban is done shaping his roster quite yet. Additionally, there are guys in-house that will play themselves into first-round picks.The 2024 NFL draft could be another massive one for Alabama.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor 2024 NFL draft projections.

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Ohio State misses out on 5-star 2021 offensive lineman to Alabama

One of the class of 2021’s best offensive lineman, 5-star J.C. Latham out of IMG Academy, has committed to Alabama over Ohio State.

For the longest time, many thought that one of the best offensive linemen in the class of 2021 was pegged to end up as an Ohio State commitment. The decision for J.C. Latham always seemed to be between Ohio State and LSU, but at the eleventh hour, Alabama began to gain traction.

In the end, it was the Tide that won out. The 6-foot, six-inch, 305-pounder out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida announced his verbal commitment to Alabama Friday.

The writing seemed to be on the wall for the Buckeyes as communication had frayed as of late, and many recruiting services began to change their predictions over to Alabama from Ohio State.

OSU still has one whale of a recruiting class for 2021, but the staff would have loved to lock down the class’ No. 5 offensive tackle, and 17th overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

There’s still a few big fish out there for the 2021 class, and we’ll continue to keep an eye on where things stand as news becomes available.

 

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Is five-star 2021 offensive tackle J.C. Latham ready to commit to Ohio State?

Ohio State 5-star OT 2021 target J.C. Latham out of IMG Academy in Florida appears poised to make college decision very soon.

Ohio State football has been together one whale of a 2021 recruiting class so far, but it’s not done yet. The Buckeyes currently sit as the easy No. 1 overall class according to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, but there’s still work to do.

In fact, Ohio State remains in the running for some very highly rated prospects out there still, and one of them may be about ready to commit. Five-star offensive tackle J.C. Latham out of IMG Academy in Florida is one of OSU’s remaining priorities in the class. According to the 247Sports Composite Ratings, he is rated as the No. 5 offensive tackle, and 17th overall recruit for 2021.

And … let it be known that he just sent up the flare that he’s ready to commit, taking to Twitter to announce it’s time, and that he needs an edit.

Ohio State appears to be in a great position to land the six-foot, six-inch, 305-pounder as well. Most experts, including the 247Sports Crystal Ball picks have him as a slight lean to Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.

However, it’s not a lock. According to Bucknuts, Latham’s father confirmed the Buckeyes are in his son’s top two schools. That other school appears to be LSU, but Alabama is also rumored to be in the mix.

There’s no exact timetable for Latham, but it does look like we’ll be hearing something soon. Stay tuned!