Tag: Laiatu Latu

Former Bruin Laiatu Latu named to NFL All-Rookie Team

The Indianapolis Colts rookie received a big honor from the Pro Football Writers Association of America.

The UCLA Bruins have a knack for producing high-end defensive talent. This week, one of their best defensive players received a major honor in the NFL. Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu was named to the Pro Football Writers of America NFL All-Rookie Team. Latu finished his rookie campaign with 16 tackles, four sacks, and three forced fumbles for the 8-9 Indianapolis Colts.

Though the former 15th-overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft did not see the field consistently, the former Bruins made an impact with the Colts and recorded some notable highlights.

The Indianapolis defense tied for 26th in sacks in 2024, but as Latu continues to develop and grow, the Colts should see an increase in production.

Latu was touted as one of the best defensive players in the 2024 NFL draft and has shown he can be a force in the future. With a decorated resume of taking down quarterbacks in college, Latu should see the field more in 2025.

New Colts DC Lou Anarumo a big fan of Laiatu Latu in 2024 draft

New Colts’ DC Lou Anarumo, who worked with Trey Hendrickson the last four sesaons, was a big fan of Laiatu Latu’s in the 2024 draft.

New Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo had his introductory press conference on Thursday. Among the topics discussed, Anarumo mentioned that he was a big fan of defensive end Laiatu Latu coming out of last year’s draft.

Latu was recently named to the PFWA All-Rookie team following his performance in 2024.

He finished the year with 38 pressures–the second-most on the team–and four sacks. A sign of what’s to come for Latu is the consistency at which he won his reps. Among all defensive ends last season, Latu ranked 30th out of 121 defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate metric.

In addition to that, Latu steadily improved as a run defender as the season went on as well.

Anarumo is accustomed to working with high end pass rusher talent, coaching Trey Hendrickson over the last four seasons.

During that stretch, Hendrickson has steadily been one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the game, which included totaling the third-most pressures in all of football last season.

In fact, in each season under Anarumo, Hendrickson ranked top-11 among defensive ends in total pressures, and was twice in the top three.

Now, of course, Anarumo’s presence doesn’t guarantee or mean that Latu is going to be on the same trajectory that Hendrickson ended up being on. But what we know is that Latu has an impressive pass rush repertoire and Anarumo’s track record indicates that he can play a key role in helping him take that next step.

Colts’ DE Laiatu Latu named to PFWA 2024 All-Rookie team

Indianapolis Colts’ DE Laiatu Latu was named to the PFWA’s 2024 All-Rookie team.

Indianapolis Colts’ defensive end Laiatu Latu was named to the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) All-Rookie team for the 2024 NFL season.

Latu was the 15th overall selection by the Colts in last April’s draft out of UCLA.

The 38 pressures that Latu totaled in 2024 were the second-most on the Colts’ defense. He also had four sacks.

Even when the production wasn’t always showing up on the stat sheet, Latu provided a steady pass-rush presence, ranking 30th out of 121 eligible defensive ends in PFF’s pass-rush win rate metric. And when there is consistency, the production often follows.

As the season progressed, Latu’s role would expand, and while known for his pass rush prowess coming out of UCLA, he really started to make strides as a run defender as he got more reps under his belt.

“He’s really evolved to where not only is he a rusher, he can rush the passer, but he’s got really good football instincts,” said former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley about Latu. “His chase and run ability, the effort that he shows on tape, all those things are putting him in a position to make some big plays for us.”

Compared to the other rookie defensive ends, Latu finished third in pressures, behind Jared Verse and Chop Robinson. He also had the second-most run stops and the second best run defense grade.

The Los Angeles Rams Jared Verse was named the PFWA’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The PFWA has voted on the All-Rookie team since 1974 and is comprised of writers who cover all 32 NFL teams.

Colts defender on ESPN’s All-Rookie second-team

Colts’ first-round pick Laiatu Latu makes ESPN’s All-Rookie second-team after his 2024 performance.

Ben Solak of ESPN recently put together his All-Rookie NFL team, and included was Indianapolis Colts’ defensive end Laiatu Latu.

Just like with the All-Pro honors, there is a first-team and a second-team. Latu was a second-team selection, with the Rams’ Jared Verse and the Dolphins’ Chop Robinson being the first-team picks.

Latu finished the 2024 season with 38 pressures, which were the second-most on the Colts’ defense, and four sacks. He steadily showcased the ability to win his one-on-one matchups, ranking 30th out of 121 defensive ends in PFF’s win rate metric.

Latu also improved as a run defender as the season went on as well.

“He’s really evolved to where not only is he a rusher, he can rush the passer, but he’s got really good football instincts,” said Gus Bradley prior to the New England game. “His chase and run ability, the effort that he shows on tape, all those things are putting him in a position to make some big plays for us.”

Compared to Verse and Robinson, Latu finished third in pressures among the rookie defensive end class, with Verse totaling a whopping 84 of them and Robinson 56.

Latu would have the second-most run stops and the second best run defense grade, according to PFF’s metrics, trailing Verse in both categories.

As far as the other Colts’ rookies go, Latu was really the only one who had a real chance of making Solak’s All-Rookie Team.

Matt Goncalves, Tanor Bortolini, and Jaylon Carlies didn’t see enough steady playing time, while AD Mitchell was very inconsistent.

Indianapolis Colts 2024 rookie review: DE Laiatu Latu

With the Indianapolis Colts on their bye week, let’s check in on their 2024 rookie class, starting with DE Laiatu Latu.

With the Indianapolis Colts on their bye week, let’s take a look back at how their 2024 rookie class is performing, beginning with first-round pick Laiatu Latu.

PFF grade: 73.2
Rank among rookie DEs: 2nd
Rank among all DEs: 31st

Stats to know: On the season, Latu has recorded 33 pressures, including four sacks. Those 33 pressures are tied for 40th among his position group, while Latu ranks 30th in pass rush win rate. In run defense grade, Latu ranks 54th.

Breakdown: Early on in the season, the Colts prioritized Latu being on the field on more obvious passing downs where he could go get after the quarterback.

However, injuries to the defensive end position forced Latu into a larger role as the season progressed, and with those added reps, we saw a greater impact from him as he gained more experience. Of his 33 pressures in 13 games, 16 have come in the last five games. His run defense grade from PFF has also improved quite a bit during that span as well.

Like really any first year player, there is a learning curve that Latu is navigating as he makes the jump to the NFL. But as his pass-rush win rate number indicates, he’s winning his matchups consistently, and when that happens, the production will eventually follow–which is what we seem to be seeing now.

What’s worth watching in the final weeks is Latu’s playing time. Against New England, he would play only 29 snaps. This could be a product of the Colts being healthier up front with Tyquan Lewis back in the mix or perhaps it was more situational with the Patriots running the ball often.

What Gus Bradley had to say about Latu: “We’ve seen it in practice and in the games that it’s slowly coming and like I mentioned before the conversations with him is just keep going,” said Bradley before the New England game. “The opportunities will come and he made a big play for us. He’s made some other chase tackles, I think he ran down a screen, he set the edge, the week before the flare screen.

“He’s really evolved to where not only is he a rusher, he can rush the passer, but he’s got really good football instincts,” added Bradley. “His chase and run ability, the effort that he shows on tape, all those things are putting him in a position to make some big plays for us.”

Colts rookie Laiatu Latu among PFF’s most disruptive DEs in recent weeks

Indianapolis Colts rookie DE Laiatu Latu has been among PFF’s most disruptive defensive ends in recent weeks.

Indianapolis Colts’ rookie defensive end Laiatu Latu is coming on strong as a pass rusher in recent weeks.

According to PFF’s metrics, in the last two games, Latu has totaled eight pressures, two sacks, and forced a fumble.

Relative to the rest of his position group league-wide, Latu ranks third in PFF’s pass rush grade during that span. He’s also fifth in pass rush win rate and tied for seventh in sacks.

“We’ve seen it in practice and in the games that it’s slowly coming and like I mentioned before the conversations with him is just keep going,” said Gus Bradley on Tuesday. “The opportunities will come and he made a big play for us. He’s made some other chase tackles, I think he ran down a screen, he set the edge, the week before the flare screen.”

Through the early portion of the season, the stat line in terms of pressures and sacks didn’t always accurately reflect Latu’s impact on the game or the progress he was making.

However, where he’s routinely ranked well from Week 1 to where we are today is in pass rush win rate. Entering Week 13, out of 122 eligible edge defenders, Latu ranks 26th in that category, which goes to show, when there is consistency, eventually the production will follow.

Latu’s run defense has also picked up as well. Over the last three games, he ranks 18th at his position group in run-stops. That well-rounded skill set has resulted in more playing time as well.

“He’s really evolved to where not only is he a rusher, he can rush the passer, but he’s got really good football instincts,” added Bradley. “His chase and run ability, the effort that he shows on tape, all those things are putting him in a position to make some big plays for us.”

Up next for Latu and the Colts as he looks to continue building momentum is a matchup with New England. The Patriots will enter this game allowing the fourth-highest quarterback pressure rate this season.

Laiatu Latu third among rookies with 20 pressures

Latu has been playing well as of late.

Former UCLA Bruin and Indianapolis Colts’ first-round selection Laiatu Latu is amongst the rookie leaders in pressures, with the UCLA standout ranking third amongst rookies with 20 pressures through his first nine games.

X user Jake Ellenbogen posted the list recently.

“Here are the rookie pressure leaders in the NFL:

  1. Jared Verse #Rams – 39
  2. Braden Fiske #Rams – 26
  3. Laiatu Latu #Colts – 20
  4. Chop Robinson #Dolphins – 14
  5. Elijah Chatman #Giants – 12″

Latu finds himself behind a pair of Los Angeles Rams, with Los Angeles’ first-round pick Verse having 13 more pressures than any other rookie and 19 more than any other rookie who isn’t a Rams’ teammate. 

While he hasn’t had the same total as the Rams’ rookies, Latu, the top-drafted defensive player in this year’s draft, has put together a strong rookie season with 14 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles at just over the midway point for the season. 

Latu started his collegiate career at Washington before spending two seasons with the Bruins before the edge rusher was taken with the 15th pick in this year’s draft. Latu nearly had to retire from football in 2021 after having surgery on his neck, following the surgery the Washington medical staff did not medically clear Latu to resume playing. Latu got clearance later in 2021 and then entered the transfer portal and headed to UCLA.

In his two seasons in Brentwood, Latu had a whopping 23.5 sacks in 25 games with 35 tackles for losses, forcing five fumbles and intercepting two passes as a Bruin. 

His 2023 season with UCLA earned Latu Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, the Lombardi Award, the Ted Hendricks award and was a unanimous All-America selection.

Vikings’ Dallas Turner off to slower start than fellow rookies on defense

Coming from the college game to the NFL is never an easy task, regardless of how some players can make it look season to season. 

Coming from the college game to the NFL is never easy, regardless of how some players make it look season to season. There is a learning curve both mentally and physically, and for some positions, it can be even more significant.

For Vikings’ rookie Dallas Turner, the curve is still being worked on after being drafted in the first round of April’s draft.

In a recent mailbag post, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis was asked about his development. In comparison to others in the class, he is lower in terms of pressure rate. Other rookies, such as Jared Verse, Laiatu Latu, and Chop Robinson, were just some of the rookies who had more success than he had.

To their credit, though, they have almost doubled the number of snaps played compared to Turner.

With Turner showing slower development, the Vikings don’t need him to be dominant on day one. Playing alongside Pat Jones II, Jonathan Greenard, and Andrew Van Ginkel allows him to pick up their scraps while working important mental reps.

He will be along in due time; there is no need to rush the former-star Crimson Tide defender.

A larger role incoming for Colts DE Laiatu Latu with Kwity Paye out vs. Steelers

A larger role will be incoming this week for Colts’ defensive end Laiatu Latu with Kwity Paye having been ruled out of Sunday’s game.

Indianapolis Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen ruled defensive end Kwity Paye out of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday afternoon, which means a larger workload is incoming for rookie Laiatu Latu.

Paye left this past Sunday’s game with a quad injury. He did not practice at all during the week.

Through three games, Latu has been the third member of the Colts’ defensive end rotation, behind Paye and Tyquan Lewis, who would miss practice on Thursday and Friday. As of now, we do not know what his status will be.

The Colts have utilized Latu in primary passing situations. Through the first two games, production-wise, he had just one pressure but was consistently winning his matchups, ranking in the top 20 among all defensive ends in PFF’s pass rush win rate metric.

Then, in this past game, Latu tallied five pressures, which were tied for the most on the team, and had a crucial strip-sack that eventually resulted in a touchdown for the Colts’ offense.

Where there is consistency, the production will typically follow, and we saw that against the Bears.

A larger role for Latu this week means more run defense snaps, especially against this Steelers offense that ranks second in rush attempts per game and 12th in total rushing yards per game.

As a run defender, it’s not only about bursting into the backfield, but at defensive end, setting a strong edge to prevent the ball carrier from getting outside and closing off running lanes will be paramount.

In addition to not having Paye, the Colts already thin cornerback room will be put to the test even further, with Kenny Moore ruled out as well.

Colts rookie DE Laiatu Latu makes PFF’s Week 4 top pass rusher rankings

Indianapolis Colts rookie DE Laiatu Latu is among PFF’s top pass rushers heading into Week 4 of the regular season.

Pro Football Focus put together its ranking of the top-32 pass rushers heading into Week 4 of the regular season. Making an appearance on the list was Indianapolis Colts rookie defensive end Laiatu Latu.

These rankings are based on PFF’s grading system and are updated weekly based on the most recent performances.

This week, Latu checks in at No. 28 after not being ranked the week prior. At the top of the list are Myles Garrett, Aidan Hutchinson, and TJ Watt.

Production-wise, we didn’t see Latu filling the stat sheet by any means during the first two games. By PFF’s metrics, he had only one pressure during that span.

However, going beyond the obvious production, what we did see in those games was a player who was consistently winning his pass rush reps. After two games, Latu ranked within the top-20 of all defensive ends in pass-rush win rate.

Oftentimes, where there is consistency, the production will follow, and we saw that this past week against the Chicago Bears. In that game, Latu totaled five pressures, which was tied for the most on the team, and had a late game-changing play with a strip sack that eventually resulted in a touchdown for the Colts’ offense.

Latu has currently played 94 defensive snaps, roughly 70 behind Kwity Paye and Tyquan Lewis as the third member of that defensive end rotation. The Colts are doing their best to put him on the field during obvious passing situations where he can pin his ears back.