With the 15th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Colts, who had a bevy of options, chose to address the edge rusher position, selecting Laiatu Latu from UCLA.
“I think he’s gonna produce pretty quickly as a rusher,” GM Chris Ballard said about Latu. “I think he knows how to rush. Of course there’s going to be an adjustment period, as there is with any rookie rusher. He’s pretty polished. This guy’s a pretty polished product in terms of rushing. Of course you’re going to have to learn, especially against (NFL) tackles that are so good, and the protection schemes are so good. So that’ll be an adjustment for him. But he’s a smart kid. He’ll figure it out.”
Latu will bring a disruptive presence to a unit that generated quite a few sacks in 2023 but, overall, didn’t get after the quarterback all that consistently.
Here are five things to know about Latu:
Latu has been one of the most disruptive pass rushers the last two seasons
Latu was considered by many to be the top pass rusher in this year’s draft. During his final two seasons at UCLA, he was among the most disruptive edge rushers in college football. In 2022, Latu totaled 65 pressures and 12 sacks. Those 65 pressures were the fourth-most, while Latu ranked seventh in pass rush win rate. This most recent season, Latu again was a disruptor, totaling 62 pressures with 15 sacks, along with ranking first in win rate, according to PFF.
A neck injury forced Latu to medically retire
Latu began his college career at Washington, where in November of 2020, he suffered a neck injury in practice that required surgery and caused numbness. Latu had to medically retire in the Spring of 2021 before he was eventually cleared prior to the 2022 season when he transferred to UCLA. It was this neck injury that led to some unknowns around where Latu was going to be taken. The Colts obviously felt very comfortable with where Latu is at with this injury.
“Like our doctor said,” Ballard said, “he just played two full years with it and had (24) sacks.”
Latu is a top tier athlete
Not surprisingly, and like many of Chris Ballard’s selections, Latu is a top tier athlete. He has good size at 6-5 – 259 pounds and posted an elite Relative Athletic Score of 9.37, which ranked as the fifth-best among all edge rushers.
Player info
Height: 6-5
Weight: 259
Arm length: 32.625
Hand: 9.625
Wingspan: N/A
40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds
10-yard split: 1.62 seconds
Vertical jump: 32″
Broad jump: 9-08
Short shuttle: 4.34 seconds
Three-cone: 7.09 seconds
Bench: N/A
RAS: 9.37
Historic run on offensive prospects allows Colts to take Latu
Everyone knew that the offensive side of the ball was going to dominate the first round of the NFL Draft, but it turned out to be a historic run where the first 14 picks were used on offensive players. The prevoius high was seven. For the Colts, this pushed down the top defenders in the class, allowing them to pick Latu, who they felt was the best overall defenisve player in the draft.
“We think we got the best defensive player in the draft,” said Ballard. “I thought we got a little lucky on it.”
What the scouting report says
For a closer look at Latu’s game, here is what Daniel Jeremiah wrote in his pre-draft scouting report:
“Latu has ideal size, quickness and instincts for the position. As a pass rusher, he can win with his quick get-off or a variety of hand moves. He has an excellent feel for when offensive tackles overset or underset and adjusts accordingly. He doesn’t have elite speed or power, but he wins with technique, bend and savvy. He can corner well at the top of his rush and is an outstanding finisher. Against the run, he’s been inconsistent when it comes to setting the edge. He’s shown the ability to shoot his hands, leverage blockers and hold the point of attack. However, there are other times his pad level is too high and he gets controlled. His effort is outstanding to chase, against both run and pass. Latu did have serious medical issues while at the University of Washington. Overall, Latu is the most skilled pass rusher in this class and should have an immediate impact at the next level.”
