The Cincinnati Bengals have done a solid job during the free agency window on replenishing their roster. While the team didn’t lose many critical pieces, some positions required immediate replacement. One of the biggest players they lost over the past week was starting right tackle Jonah Williams. Williams had run out his welcome in Cincinnati but it doesn’t diminish the fact that the team lacks suitable replacements at the right tackle position.
Cincinnati Bengals Presumed First-Round Pick Makes Big Mistake
Luckily for Cincinnati, they finally addressed the problem on Tuesday when they signed veteran right tackle Trent Brown. Brown played the best football of his career last season with the New England Patriots and will likely slot it instantaneously at the starting right tackle position. Brown is coming in on a one-year contract so it is apparent that Cincinnati doesn’t see him as the long-term solution on the offensive line.
Let’s fast forward about a month to the 2024 NFL Draft where there is a long list of offensive tackles available. To be exact, there are six offensive tackles expected to be drafted in the first round including my favorite for Cincinnati: Alabama right tackle J.C. Latham. Latham is a monster of a man as he weighs in at a whopping 6’6″ and 360 pounds. He fits in perfectly with offensive line coach Frank Pollack‘s size-first philosophy.
On Wednesday, Alabama put on their pro day and gave their football players a chance to put on a display for any interested NFL teams. At 360 pounds and expected to go in the first round, Latham was inevitably the star of the show and looked excellent during drills. Unfortunately, Latham chose to forgo the athletic testing such as the forty-yard dash and the shuttle drills.
Latham certainly isn’t the first player to make that decision but the list of offensive linemen that Cincinnati have drafted without seeing an athletic display hasn’t been great. The last three players on that list are their departing offensive tackle Williams, former Ohio State center Billy Price, and former Clemson offensive tackle Jackson Carman. Alarmingly, Williams is actually the most successful of this group as Price and Carman bombed out of the starting lineup quite spectacularly.
There have certainly been other players who forwent athletic drills at their pro days and were successful in the NFL but it certainly doesn’t inspire confidence, particularly for a 360-pound offensive lineman who would be especially prone to slacking and putting on unhealthy weight. Athleticism is everything when it comes to pass blocking at the NFL level and if Latham isn’t willing to put his to the test to compare to the other five projected first-round offensive tackles, then he might fall behind the rest of the pack.
Credit: Getty Images
Latham is still my favorite pick for Cincinnati with the 18th pick in the draft but this development definitely should trigger some concern.
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