Indianapolis Colts | |
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Position: | Defensive end |
Personal information | |
Born: | Sacramento, California, U.S. | December 31, 2000
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Weight: | 259 lb (117 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | Jesuit (Sacramento) |
College: |
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NFL draft: | 2024 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15 |
Career history | |
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Roster status: | Unsigned draft pick |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Laiatu Latu (born December 31, 2000) is an American football defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and UCLA Bruins. Latu was named a unanimous All-American and won the Ted Hendricks and Lombardi Awards with UCLA in 2023.
Latu was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, using the 15th overall selection. He was the first defensive player selected by any team in 2024.
Latu was born on December 31, 2000, in Sacramento, California, later attending Jesuit High School. [1] [2] As a junior he earned accolades playing both ways — as a tight end on offense and an outside linebacker on defense, also making significant contributions as a member of Jesuit's special teams. [3] Marauders head coach Marion Blanton characterized Latu as a "solid young man" who was "very coachable." [3] "His motor is always going," Blanton noted. [3]
Latu was named first team All-California after recording 94 total tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks as a senior. [4] Standing 6'5" and weighing 245 pounds as a senior, Latu was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Washington over offers from UCLA, USC, Oregon, Stanford, and Alabama. [5]
Latu began his college career with the Washington Huskies in the fall of 2019. [6] He played in 12 games as a freshman and finished the season with 16 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. [7] Latu suffered a neck injury during fall practices entering his 2020 sophomore year. He did not appear in any of Washington's four games played during the COVID pandemic-shortened season. [8] He underwent surgery on his neck in an attempt to alleviate his nerve issue. [9]
Washington's team doctors deemed that the injury had not recovered enough and that it would be too dangerous for Latu to continue playing football. Huskies' head coach Jimmy Lake announced that Latu had been forced by injury to retire for medical reasons at the start of spring practices in 2021. [10] He was thus out of football for the duration of that year. [9]
Latu sought to continue his career as a player and sought an additional medical opinion from Dr. Robert Watkins of Marina del Rey, California. [11] In September 2021, Latu traveled to California to see Watkins and received medical clearance to play football again. [11] He spent the next four months searching for a college program that would take him given his medical history and confusion about his medical retirement. [11]
Latu learned that University of California, Los Angeles refers players to Watkins as necessary, thus opening the door for him to become a member of the Bruins. [11] Latu entered the NCAA transfer portal and transferred to UCLA in time to begin non-contact work in preparation for the 2022 season. [12] He was cleared to play by team physicians near the end on the Bruins' spring practices. [13]
During his 2022 junior season Latu was named the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week for Week 4 after recording three sacks and forcing a fumble against Colorado. [14] He ended with 10.5 sacks for the year in 13 games played. [8] In December 2022 Latu was named one of three comeback players of the year in college football, along with University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix and University of Minnesota running back Mohammed Ibrahim. [9]
In 2023 Latu started all 12 games for UCLA. [8] He led the nation in tackles for loss per game (1.8) and ranked fourth nationally in sacks per game, with a 1.08 average. His total of 13.0 sacks was the highest by any player in the Pac-12. He also intercepted two passes as a senior and forced a total of five fumbles over the two years of his career as a Bruin. [8] Latu was UCLA's first-ever winner of both the Lombardi Award and the Ted Hendricks Award, presented to the top defensive end in the country. [15] Latu was the Pacific-12 Conference Defensive Player of the year in 2023 and a unanimous selection as an All-American for that season.
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
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6 ft 4+3⁄4 in (1.95 m) |
259 lb (117 kg) |
32+5⁄8 in (0.83 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.64 s | 1.62 s | 2.70 s | 4.34 s | 7.09 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) |
9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) | ||
All values from NFL Combine/ Pro Day [16] [17] |
Latu was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. He was the first defensive player selected in the draft.