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Improvement in Key Area Could Propel Colts' Laiatu Latu to Breakout

Defensive end Laiatu Latu had a solid rookie season in 2024, but can he build on it heading into 2025?

Zach Hicks

Sep 22, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) celebrates a sack during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) celebrates a sack during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
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The Indianapolis Colts desperately tried to move up in the 2024 draft for an offensive playmaker. After working the phones tirelessly in an attempt to move up for either Malik Nabers or Brock Bowers, the Colts ultimately decided to stick and make their pick at 15.

Due to the sheer insanity of the draft class, the first 14 selections of the draft were all on the offensive side of the football. This left the Colts, a team needing more juice off the edge, with a player that they deemed as "the best f****** rusher in the draft," according to Chris Ballard.

With sky-high expectations set by the organization that drafted him, defensive end Laiatu Latu churned out a solid rookie campaign. He finished the year with four sacks and 34 pressures in 375 pass rushing snaps, and he added another 17 stops in the run game as well. His pass rush win rate of 14.0% ranked number 19 in the NFL among edge rushers, seeing at least 50% of the snaps (out of 64 qualifying players).

Latu was relatively effective in his first season with the Colts, but is there another gear that he can hit going forward? Let's dive into his film and find out.

Positives

Elite Awareness

Latu's best attribute on the field is how he processes the game in front of him. The Colts have swung and missed in the past when drafting edge rushers who are more athlete than football player. Those players offered outstanding upside with their natural traits, but lacked the fundamentals necessary to be productive NFL players. This isn't the case whatsoever with Latu.

Latu is a very cerebral player that understands what is going on around him. There are countless examples of this on film, such as how he maintains his contain on play-action passes and how he reads and reacts to screen passes to his side of the field. In just about every game Latu played last season, there were a few plays he made purely due to his ability to diagnose what is in front of him and understand what the offense is trying to do.

This trait alone gives Latu a fantastic floor in the NFL as a player that can be impactful on defense.

Run Defense

For a player identified as the best pass rusher in the draft (by many analysts in the 2024 draft cycle), Latu's run defense was actually quite solid in year one. At nearly 270 pounds off of the edge, Latu is a far cry from the speed rushers that Ballard used to target in the draft. He has the bulk and the quickness to be an impactful run defender, and he showcased some great ability in year one.

There are still steps he could take in this regard going forward, but he was well above average in run defense for a player that specializes as a pass rusher. He made teams pay for blocking him with tight ends and made several high quality stops on the year. If he can add a bit more power to his game to hold up better against double teams, he should be a positive impact run defender for years to come with the Colts.

Pass Rushing Flashes

At the end of the day, Latu was drafted number 14 in the 2024 draft due to his ability to impact the pass game. He may not have been as effective as Jared Verse or Chop Robinson in year one, but there were plenty of flashes to be excited about on film with Latu. The most promising aspect of his game is his go-to move: the cross chop.

Latu specialized in this move back at UCLA, and it appears to be having the same effect in the NFL. He generated several high-quality pressures off this move as a rookie, and it should be even more impactful as he learns to soften the edges a bit more going forward. His hands as a pass rusher are truly special, and his go-to move certainly shows that on a consistent basis.

Latu also made opposing offenses pay for using tight ends or backup offensive linemen on him last season. This may come off as a knock on him, but he specialized in killing easier matchups in the passing game last season. This is a key trait of many top pass rushers in the league, and Latu at least made these rushes count for the defense.

Latu forced two fumbles on these easier matchups last season. The first one was a near game-sealing strip sack on Caleb Williams with tight end Cole Kmet blocking him, and the other came against the Detroit Lions when he stripped Jared Goff after beating sixth offensive lineman Dan Skipper on a nifty move.

Negatives

Finishing Rushes

Latu finished his rookie season with just four sacks, and that easily could have been more if he simply finished some of his better rushes. Some may see this as a positive (in a roundabout way) as him being a positive regression candidate next season, but he really needs to clean up the tackling in general. Among all defensive ends seeing at least 200 snaps last season, Latu's 25.7% missed tackle rate ranked number 114 out of 132 qualified players.

He missed far too many tackles last year, and it really hurt the Colts in the passing game. The biggest concern on these plays is that Latu wasn't just missing the sacks, but he was missing the quarterback entirely and leaving escape lanes for the opposing passer. This led to a few big passing plays against, further hurting the Colts' defense.

If Latu wants to truly live up to his status as the best rusher in the 2024 draft, he needs to capitalize on his rushes and finish more plays for sacks (or at least disrupt the quarterback a bit more on these plays).

Pass Rush Still Developing

The advanced numbers are pretty solid regarding Latu last season, but his film is a tad concerning with his pass rush prowess. He possesses fantastic hands and awareness as a rusher, but his power and his bend (or lack thereof) pose real concerns for the future. If he can't develop either of these traits to be better than where they were last season, he may be stuck as a mid-level pass rusher going forward.

There is still plenty of time for Latu to develop his game, but as of right now, he needs to get a lot stronger to properly become the pass rusher the Colts need him to be. His long arm/bull rush simply isn't impactful enough to set a soft edge, and he isn't bendy enough to turn the corner without one. These struggles showed when he faced off against starting-caliber offensive tackles last season, and they are likely to continue if he can't generate power going forward.

Latu is hardly a player that anybody should count out, but he needs to show a bit more in year two to warrant his draft status.

The Bottom Line

Latu had a solid rookie season for the Colts, and I have no doubt in my mind that he will be a productive NFL player for a long time. His awareness and his hands give him a very high floor, and it's hard for me to see him not being a starting-caliber player in this league going forward. My real concern is what his ceiling is for the Colts.

Latu was selected high in the draft as an NFL-ready prospect. At 24 years old with multiple years of high-level college production, he was expected to be a player who could step right into the NFL and produce at a fairly high level. He simply didn't do that as a rookie, and he had more struggles than many expected. Part of this is due to the Colts' scheme (opposing offenses got rid of the ball very quickly against the Colts), but the other part of this is on Latu as well.

My biggest concern with Latu is that he appears to be a finesse pass rusher stuck in the body of a power rusher. He wins with his hands and his quickness, but he doesn't have the bend to truly be the Von Miller that his mind wants him to be. He has the size to be a more impactful power player, like a Jared Verse, for instance, but he doesn't play with that same level of physicality or raw strength.

Latu can certainly work on his strength and easily rectify all concerns going forward, but there are still concerns going into year two. He should be able to be an 8-12 sack guy if that long arm/bull rush truly comes around, but I have to see it first to truly buy into it. As of right now, he looks to be a solid edge rusher who underwhelmed a bit as a top 15 pick in the NFL draft.

The book is far from closed on Latu as a player, but he needs to show a bit more in year two for this team. He is hardly a player to count out; he came back from medically retiring to be a top 15 pick, so I'd bet on him overcoming the concerns I have on film. If he can just come out as more of a power rusher next season, he should be a long-term force player for this Colts' defense going forward.

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Zach Hicks
ZACH HICKS

Zach Hicks is the Lead Analyst for HorseshoeHuddle.com. Zach has been on the NFL beat since 2017. His works have appeared on SBNation.com, the Locked On Podcast Network, BleacherReport.com, MSN.com, & Yardbarker.com. 

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