SI All-American Candidate Will Latu Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: Will Latu
Projected Position: Latu currently plays running back and “edge”, but projects as an off-ball linebacker in college.
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 220 pounds
School: Spanaway (Wash.) Bethel
Committed to: Washington
Frame: Ideal-looking frame with defined torso and abdomen. Good length in arms and athletic-looking lower half.
Athleticism: Latu possesses excellent play strength on both sides of the ball. As a running back, his strength and power are apparent through his ability to break tackles and gain yards after contact. He also has solid agility and quickness. Defensively, Latu has good explosiveness to close and finish plays, especially when driving on underneath routes.
Instincts: Displays good ball skills and concentration. Decisive runner who instinctively lowers pad level on contact. Latu is capable of holding up at the point of attack and setting the edge. He flashes an arm-over and swipe move to escape and shed blocks, along with range.
Polish: Has college-level size and frame right now. Capable of being physically ready to play at the next level early in his career. Latu will need to find a home in a defensive scheme and improve his man-to-man coverage skills to ensure he can stay on the field for an entire series.
Bottom Line: A versatile prospect who plays with toughness, strength, awareness and fair play speed. Latu projects as an outside linebacker on the strong side (Sam) where his toughness, power and ability to play over a tight end will allow him to make a good contribution to a defense. It also would not be surprising to see him eventually kick inside to Mike or a Will/weakside inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.