2024 NFL Draft, Full 3-round mock draft post-Combine: Vikings, Chiefs trade up

19. Los Angeles Rams: JC Latham, OT, Alabama

I’ll say it in every mock draft from here until April 25, but the fact that the Los Angeles Rams are going into the offseason after a playoff berth is a miracle that perhaps only Sean McVay and other coaches you could count on one hand could pull off. But now picking in the first round for the first time in nearly a decade, they have to make the most of it. 

Despite the team’s success this past season, it’s very much a carte blanche situation for the Rams. The defense could use help on every level, the offensive line has holes across it, and so on. Wide receiver might be the only position they’re totally set on, especially if there’s motivation to find a successor for Matthew Stafford. 

But the Rams play it smartly and get a tone-setter for the offensive line by taking Alabama’s JC Latham with the No. 18 pick. Latham was a multi-year starter for Nick Saban with the Crimson Tide and is an absolute beast in terms of his size, length and overall frame. 

There are questions about the overall foot speed of Lathamn and whether or not he can play on the left side after two years at right tackle for Bama, but with both tackle spots potentially needing an upgrade, that’s of no mind to LA who would upgrade immediately by getting Latham into the fray.