A defensive player has finally come off the board following the run on (primarily) QBs and tackles. The Colts have used the No. 15 overall pick on UCLA edge-rusher Laiatu Latu.
Latu has one of the most unique NFL paths in this year’s draft. A neck issue during Washington’s training camp in 2020 led to a medical retirement. Latu, however, resurfaced at UCLA in 2022 and proceeded to rip off 10.5- and 13-sack seasons. The latter effort produced a Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honor in the conference’s swan-song season and it put him firmly in the discussion as one of the draft’s top defensive prospects.
Considering those past injury concerns, teams were naturally wary of the prospect entering the pre-draft process. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport passes along that Latu “got as good reviews as you can ask for” from a medical perspective, something that bodes well for his NFL future.
The injury questions are probably the only reason why Latu wasn’t able to end the offensive run earlier in the night. While the Colts may bring the rookie along slowly, he projects as a three-down option as a professional. With Samson Ebukam and Kwity Paye currently penciled in on the edge, Latu may start off as a third-down option before taking on more responsibility.
There were 14 offensive players selected to begin Thursday night’s draft. This is the longest run on offensive players to begin a draft in NFL history, making Latu a popular trivia answer in a few years.
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