How and why JC Latham lost 20 pounds before the NFL draft

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – JC Latham has stuck to a strict diet since declaring for the NFL draft.

After his junior season ended and he started training in Tampa for the next chapter of his career in football, Alabama’s offensive tackle said he cut breakfast out of his daily routine and watched what he ate. Since then, the 6-foot-6, 360-pound lineman has lost 20 pounds.

“Whether I had it or not, I performed the same. So we just cut that meal out,” said Latham after his Pro Day workout on Wendesday. “Lunch would be a couple scoops of rice, some grilled chicken and probably some broccoli or something like that. Then you might get back and get a little bit extra of something else, but nothing too crazy. 

“You probably have the same thing for dinner. If I ever wanted to order something, I’d probably just get Sweet Dreams, it’s a salad place. It was really hard doing that for, I think, seven weeks straight. … The whole time I was there, it was nothing but rice and chicken.”

Latham started Alabama’s last 27 games at right tackle, or every game of his sophomore and junior seasons. This past year, Latham was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press, FWAA, Sporting News and Walter Camp. He appeared in 40 career games, playing in 13 as a true freshman reserve in 2021, before turning pro back in January.

Latham has since transformed his body before hearing his name called in the 2024 NFL Draft, where he is projected to be a first-round pick. After taking part in positional drills alongside Darrian Dalcourt, Latham revealed the hardest food he has had to give up of late.

“Five Guys burgers,” Latham said. “I don’t know what they be doing over there, but just the tinfoil it’s wrapped in. I get two with lettuce, mayo, ketchup and cheese. I eat two of those and a small frie. I don’t even eat all the fries because you know they overdo it with fries.

“But Five Guys, I love their burgers.”

Latham was one of two Alabama offensive tackles that tipped the scales at 360 or more pounds last year, while guard Tyler Booker was listed at 352 pounds. But Latham chose to lose some weight after declaring for the draft and believes it will benefit him in the NFL.

“You take off 20 pounds, you move quicker, so there’s that,” Latham said. “And then it’s probably easier just to recover from everything. Everybody was telling me that once you hit that 340 mark, no matter what position you play – offensive line, defensive line, whoever it is, just anybody in general – it’s not good for your knees and your joints. 

“It causes a lot of stress on them, and you don’t want that if you’re trying to play long-term. At Alabama, we went from August all the way to January. In the NFL, you’re going to February, so that’s an extra month. You’ve gotta be prepared to be able to endure the long seasons and the harshness that comes with it. 

“If you can shed about like 20 pounds so your body can recover quicker and help you, then you should.”

With a month left to go in the draft process, Latham said he has eight official visits planned with NFL teams. He is currently ranked the 17th-best prospect and No. 4 offensive tackle in the 2024 class, according to CBS Sports, and was recently projected to land with the Cincinnati Bengals with the 18th overall pick, per NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah.

Latham has plans to be in Detroit for the 2024 NFL Draft, which starts Thursday, April 25.

“That’ll be a surreal moment,” Latham said. “You see the draft every year, you watch it every year, so just being able to really enjoy it first-hand, it’ll be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

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