The wait is officially over. We now know the Indianapolis Colts 2024 1st-round pick.
With the 15th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Colts selected UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu.
Latu began his college career at Washington, where he played eight games listed as a LB, all during his freshman season. His time at Washington would end abruptly as he was forced to retire from football because of a neck injury. He would return to the field, though, by transferring to UCLA and spending his final two seasons at UCLA. And he certainly fits what the Colts typically go for in terms of an athetle grading out with a 9.37 RAS.
He had back-to-back years of 10+ sack seasons, with 10.5 in 2022 and 13.0 last season. Nearly every metric out there will show you how elite Latu was as a pass rusher, which is, without a doubt, the trait the Colts are betting on with this pick. Latu's belt of pass-rush moves is deeper than any rookie I've seen in recent years, and it will be intriguing to see his day-one role. Many edge rushers struggle early in their career, but there's plenty of evidence to give Colts fans hope that Latu could get off to a faster start than the typical rookie. He's older than your typical rookie at 23 years old, and everything about his game screams that he will be ready to attack the QB from the jump in the NFL. Dont sleep on him as a potential Defensive Rookie of the Year.
More must-reads: