Colts land Laiatu Latu: First defensive player picked in historic 2024 NFL Draft was once forced to retire from football

The consensus Associated Press First Team All-American defensive end led the nation with 21.5 tackles for loss and ranked fifth in FBS with 63 QB pressures in 2023.

DETROIT – After an NFL record 14 consecutive offensive players were selected in the top-half of the first round, the Indianapolis Colts drafted UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

A sea of over 300,000 NFL fans assembled in downtown Detroit between Woodward and Michigan Ave, witnessing history with the longest streak of offensive players taken in the modern draft era. Every defensive player was available when the Colts were officially on the clock and the war room ultimately decided to pick the top defensive player on the draft board. Colts general manager Chris Ballard mentioned to reporters a week ago how strong the draft was on the offensive side of the football and foreshadowed Thursday’s outcome.

The consensus Associated Press First Team All-American led the nation with 21.5 tackles for loss and ranked fifth in FBS with 63 QB pressures in 2023. Latu also posted career highs last season with 49 tackles, 13 sacks and two interceptions. He finished his three-year collegiate career compiling 24 sacks and 35.5 TFL.

It’s routine for Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley to rotate a squadron of at least eight pass rushers during games. The 6-foot-5, 259-pounder has a high ceiling as the best pass rusher in the 2024 draft class and can earn a role to make an immediate impact on Indianapolis’ defensive line alongside defensive tackles DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart.

Latu was convinced to medically retire from football after suffering a serious neck injury before his sophomore campaign. After just one promising season at Washington, Latu was faced with the harsh reality that his football career could possibly come to an end. He decided to undergo neck fusion surgery and sat out the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Latu was treated by Dr. Robert Watkins, the same doctor who treated Colts legend Peyton Manning. His talent and skill are both undeniable, but concerns due to his medical evaluation raised some red flags.

In 2022, Latu announced he was returning to football and transferring to UCLA, where he emerged as one of the nation’s best pass rushers and earned First-Team All-Pac 12 honors. As a senior, Latu won the Lombardi Award, which is given to the nation’s top lineman, along with the Ted Hendricks Award, given to the nation’s top defensive end. According to Pro Football Focus, Latu posted a 96.3 defensive grade and 94.3 pass rush grade, which were both the highest among all edge rushers. His 26.2% win rate was the second-highest among all defensive linemen.

Latu is a menace to opposing blockers and has a vast repertoire of moves to use at the line of scrimmage. His penetration is second-to-none in this draft class and he has the agility to bull rush or rip through to shed blockers to set the edge. The Colts have found their next premier edge rusher and beefed up a defensive front that eclipsed the franchise record with 51 sacks last season.