After weeks of speculation on what Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard was going to do with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, he selected edge rusher Laiatu Latu out of UCLA.
Laiatu Latu – UCLA
- 6-foot-5, 259 lbs
Laiatu Latu is one of the most exciting edge prospects in this year’s draft. The offensive game plan wrecker from UCLA posted back-to-back seasons with double-digit sacks. This helped him earn All-American status and the 2023 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award.
49 TKL, 28 Solo, 21.5 TFL, 13 Sacks, 2 INT, 2 PD, 2 FF
During his final collegiate season, he spent the majority of his time rushing the quarterback as an outside linebacker. However, he shows the ability to be able to be just as effective rushing quarterbacks with his hand on the ground.
There is a concern about the neck injury Latu sustained while playing at Washington. The Huskies doctors didn’t clear him to play, they told Latu he should medically retire whereas the Bruins doctors did. His shoulder has even received a comparison to former Dallas linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. The Colts’ medical staff reviewed the injury record, and recovery and determined that his history wasn’t as big of a concern. His size, arm length, and boundary pursuit are average. His ability to hold up against the run and maintain his rush leverage needs improvement.
He is drawing comparisons to T.J. Watt, and Latu’s relentlessness in his pursuit of the quarterback shines on tape. He does show some good coverage ability in small areas, as evidenced by his two interceptions. Latu has above-average lateral movement and athleticism while timing up his rush to stack and shed blockers. He utilized his bull rush and speed a lot to get to and bring down the quarterback, so he will need to develop some more moves, but his speed will play instantly in the NFL.
Colts fans were less than pleased considering tight end Brock Bowers was taken just two picks prior. Some wanted Ballard to move up two spots to get the generational tight-end talent. The question is was Las Vegas asking too much or did they simply not want to move? Regardless, the horseshoe had the choice of the top available defensive player after a record 14 straight offensive players were selected. A lot of fans wanted either Terrion Arnold or Quinyon Mitchell at cornerback if Bowers was off the board.
Instead, Ballard took arguably the best edge rusher in this draft, hopefully filling the team’s need for a premier talent. Latu should instantly generate more pressure off the edge than any of the current Colts players.
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