Oct 27, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) looks for an open receiver as Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) applies defensive pressure during the game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Report: UCLA Defender Named NFL Potential Breakout Star

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Brock Vierra | Last updated May 9, 2025 2:11 PM ET

One of Ikaika Malloe's original UCLA draft gems, Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu, is poised for a big season.

The Colts made several upgrades to their defense that should allow Latu to dominate on the outside with the organization likely treating this season as do or die.

Thus, Latu was named a breakout candidate by Pro Football Focus' Jonathon Macri.

"Latu’s rookie season flew under the radar a bit when compared to the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and fellow first-rounder, Jared Verse," Macri wrote. "However, Latu wasn’t given the full-time workload necessary to really make an impact in the sack column or be as disruptive as Verse.

"Latu’s 54% snap share as a rookie wasn’t ideal, though with the team’s 2024 leader in pass-rush snaps, Dayo Odeyingbo, off to Chicago, there’s a much larger opportunity for Latu to deliver on his potential after ranking 30th in pass-rush grade (72.1) as a rookie in 2024."

The Colts already possess a dominant defensive line with Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner jamming up the middle. The team added star cornerback Charvarius Ward in the offseason, along with former Minnesota Vikings safety Camryn Bynum.

With better coverage, that should give Latu the second he needs to turn a pressure into a hit and hopefully a sack. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah also believes in Latu.

"What you win with in college is so different than what you win with in the NFL," Jeremiah told Colts.com's JJ Stankevitz at the NFL Combine. "To me, there's a process of learning how they're going to play you, what they're going to take away and then how you can win.

"In the NFL, it's a lot more crush rush where you gotta get through someone. If you're going to take high side rushes the whole time, they're going to climb up and get away from you and the ball's going to be gone. You gotta find a way to win with power through them and a way to win on that inside shoulder."

"So, he's got all the feel for it, he's got all the ability to do that, I think it's just getting a chance to get out there and rep it and see it and then know, 'OK, this worked in college, this didn't work in the NFL.' And I do think that the realignment in college, you're going to see the effect of that two, three years from now."

With multiple analysts backing Latu, expect him to have a big year in a scheme that produced 2024 NFL sack king Trey Hendrickson.