The Colts 2024 first-round draft choice is coming into his own.
Laiatu Latu is, by all accounts, rounding into form as the second half of the 2024 season progresses. The Colts’ 2024 first-round pick became the first defender taken off the board at No. 15, and although he had an inconsistent start to his rookie campaign, Latu has taken off in recent weeks.
Fresh off his best game of the season since Week 3 versus the Chicago Bears, Latu shined bright amidst a dark day against the Lions. Per NextGen Stats, Latu led all Colts vs the Lions with six pressures, two QB hits, two QB hurries, and a strip-sack.
End zone cutup of Laiatu Latu vs the Lions which included a team-high six pressures, two QB hits, and a strip-sack.
Latu looks to be hitting his stride over the 2nd half of his rookie season; he has a team-high 19.1% pressure rate since Week 9. #Colts pic.twitter.com/T9RUyDll2G
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) November 25, 2024
The Colts’ defensive front is easily their strongest unit on that side of the ball. While it was an inconsistent mess early on, and injury worsened its state, Latu is slowly but surely beginning to fill the void that veteran pass-rusher Samson Ebukam left behind when he was injured for the (regular) season.
Since Week 9, Laiatu Latu leads the Colts in pressure rate (19.1%) and is beginning to showcase more pass-rush moves that aren’t just his vaunted cross-chop move. Not only that, but he has proved to be a capable rusher from inside and out during that timeframe.
A massive asterisk in Latu’s development, however, is due to veteran DT DeForest Buckner’s return from injured reserve in Week 8 against the Houston Texans. On the contrary, one of Latu’s best games of the season, the previously mentioned Bears outing, came in Buckner’s first missed game.
It’s not a perfect science, but Buckner’s gravity on the defensive line is an objective assistance to any neighboring d-linemen. Regardless of Buckner’s influence, Latu has seemingly found his groove as a pass-rusher after a choppy first half in his rookie season.
According to NextGen Stats, here’s how Latu has fared in pressure rate during each of the three four-week stretches so far:
Weeks 1-4: 12 pressures on 82 pass rushes (14.6% pressure rate)
Weeks 5-8: 9 pressures on 86 pass rushes (10.5% pressure rate)
Weeks 9-12: 17 pressures on 89 pass rushes (19.1% pressure rate)
On top of his recent progression in regularly affecting opposing quarterbacks, Latu is currently T-13th among edge defenders leaguewide in pass rush win rate (17%) while being double-teamed 20% of the time per ESPN Analytics. To add context to how well he has performed as a rookie thus far, consider his season stats compared to perennial All-Pro and DPOY candidate TJ Watt, the player who was regularly comped to Latu during the pre-draft process.
Laiatu Latu vs TJ Watt (thru 12 weeks):
Latu: 257 pass rushes, 4.0 sacks, 14.8% pressure rate, 20% double team rate, 12 QB Hits, 18 Hurries
Watt: 337 pass rushes, 7.5 sacks, 8.9% pressure rate, 14% double team rate, 18 QB Hits, 9 Hurries
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) November 27, 2024
As is tradition with comparing Anthony Richardson to Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson through their first x amount of starts to make points or continue pre-conceived agendas, this comparison is not meant to paint Latu in the same light as Watt. This is merely to show how well Latu has played as a rookie in a talented yet crowded Colts defensive line.
Laiatu Latu still has a ways to go before we can deem him comparable among the likes of known quarterback destroyers in TJ Watt, Myles Garrett, and many more, but the Colts’ first-round draft pick is off to a promising start. Only time will tell if Latu will blossom into a Buckner-esque player that his neighboring defensive linemen can benefit from.
