Why Titans' move of NFL draft pick JC Latham to left tackle is so important to team's future

The fundamental difference between left tackle and right tackle is urgency.

The Tennessee Titans drafted Alabama's JC Latham with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night to be the franchise's new left tackle. The catch? Latham hasn't played left tackle since high school. He played right tackle at Alabama, and was darn good at it. But now he'll have to flip his perspective to be the player the Titans need him to be.

As the Latham era begins in Nashville, let's answer why the left tackle position is so important, what Latham's transition may be like and why this move is so important for the Titans' future.

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Why is JC Latham moving to left tackle such a big deal?

Most quarterbacks, including Titans passer Will Levis, throw with their right hand. That means when they're standing in the pocket preparing to throw, their backs are to the left side of the formation. That's why the left tackle is often called the "blind side" blocker; he's the player tasked with protecting the quarterback from the pass rushers he can't see coming.

It's a bit of a fallacy to say more pressures come from the offensive left. Per Pro Football Focus, 22.8% of pressures of qualified quarterbacks last season were credited to left tackles compared to a nearly identical 22.2% from right tackles. The difference is the awareness force multiplier. Right-handed quarterbacks can better brace themselves for contact they know is coming, lowering the chances of fumbles and injuries. Unexpected hits from the blind side often mean calamity.

The Titans know this all too well. Among qualified quarterbacks in 2023, the two passers most frequently pressured from rushers who beat a left tackle were Ryan Tannehill and Levis.

Did Titans make NFL draft mistake picking Latham, a right tackle, to play left tackle?

Latham will hardly be the first first-round talent tasked with making the jump from right tackle to left tackle in the pros. Perennial All-Pro Trent Williams played three of his four college seasons at right tackle. Pro Bowl mainstay Tyron Smith played right tackle in college, too. So did Cleveland Browns starter and fellow Alabama product Jedrick Wills.

Something else Williams, Smith and Wills all have in common: They were coached by Titans offensive line coach Bill Callahan. Williams was already an established pro by the time he started working with Callahan, but Wills and Smith were beginning their transitions under the veteran line coach's tutelage. Smith put together a career that may someday end with a gold jacket and Wills has been, at worst, an average to above average tackle.

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Can Latham be the next player to make this transition? The Titans sure seem to think so. So does Latham. In oversimplified terms, the only physical differences are which hand you put in the dirt, which shoulder you lead with on a down block and which foot you anchor your kick step with in pass protection. It's not as if Latham's spent the last three years squatting exclusively with his right leg. Strength is transferrable. He just has to mirror his skills.

Why is JC Latham playing left tackle so important for Titans?

It's a bit of a misnomer to say Levis needs more time to throw. He actually took 2.5 or more seconds to throw on 62.4% of his dropbacks last year, the second-highest rate in the NFL. This might not sound like a bad thing, but it is. This means Titans receivers weren't getting open quickly enough, defensive pressure forced Levis to extend plays out of the pocket, Titans plays took too long to develop, Levis didn't make decisions quickly enough ... or often all four at once.

Passing offense is a rhythm game. Receivers need to be where quarterbacks expect them to be at a precise time, and linemen need to make sure quarterbacks have an unobstructed window through which to throw at that precise moment. A top-shelf left tackle's job is bigger than "not allowing sacks." He's also essentially the drummer of the passing offense's band, keeping time and making sure the tempo isn't too quick (sacks, fumbles) or dragging (pressures that force unplanned scrambles, take away open reads).

Anyone who has watched Titans football in the last two years knows just how devastating a sieve at left tackle can be for an offense. That's why it's important Latham works out on the left, lest the Titans have to endure another season of rhythm-less offense.

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Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NFL draft: What Titans moving JC Latham to left tackle really means