New Titans OT JC Latham used to place side bets in practice with first-round Alabama teammate
NASHVILLE – They say iron sharpens iron, and if that's the case, new Tennessee Titans left tackle JC Latham should be one of the sharpest offensive tackles out there. Before being selected by the Titans with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Latham played 27 games as the right tackle at Alabama […]
NASHVILLE – They say iron sharpens iron, and if that's the case, new Tennessee Titans left tackle JC Latham should be one of the sharpest offensive tackles out there.
Before being selected by the Titans with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Latham played 27 games as the right tackle at Alabama and polished his game while battling first-round edge rusher Dallas Turner in daily practices.
Turner was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 17th overall pick on Thursday night. He was one of the top edge rushers in this draft class, praised for his explosive speed and burst. Not a bad defender for Latham to compete against in practice every day, and make no mistake about it, things got competitive.
Latham told media at the NFL Draft in Detroit that he and Turner used to place $20 bets on every rep during practices. To a star Alabama football player in the NIL era, I suppose $20 bets are pretty insignificant. But I absolutely love the thought of Latham and Turner getting competitive and putting money on the line while they get battle tested.
"I'm not in college anymore so I can say, but we had bets. 20 dollar bets on every rep," said Latham when asked about working against Turner in practices. "I won a majority of them, but that's my guy. Going against [Turner] every single day, he made me better and I made him better. Iron sharpens iron."
For an incredibly large and strong tackle like Latham who sometimes struggles against speed rushes, daily experience against one of the most athletic pass rushers in the draft class is invaluable.
The Titans are getting a competitive and hardworking giant to play left tackle and protect Will Levis for years to come. If their evaluations are on, this could end up being a fantastic draft choice by Ran Carthon and Co.
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