Indianapolis Colts Getting Great Early Reviews On First-Round Pick

In the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected edge rusher Laiatu Latu with the No. 15 overall pick. It was a selection that surprised a lot of people for several reasons.

One of them is that the Indianapolis Colts were mocked offensive playmakers leading up to the draft. When they passed on some of the wide receivers still on the board, a lot of people were surprised.

Alas, no one thought that Latu would still be on the board this late. He was one of the higher-rated defensive players in the draft, but this year’s run on offensive players was historic.

At No. 15, the UCLA star was the first defensive player to come off the board. That kind of value is hard to pass up, as an early run on quarterbacks and wide receivers pushed some excellent defenders down the board.

Seeing a chance to be opportunistic, the Indianapolis Colts jumped on it. There is some risk involved, as Latu’s medicals scared a few franchises. Alas, the pro-ready production he put on tape shined through during the offseason program.

Over at ESPN, Stephen Holder shared an update on all the first-round rookies during OTAs and minicamps. He shared a glowing review of Latu, who has been a standout for the Indianapolis Colts to this point.

“The Colts are optimistic about Latu’s chances for success as they’ve already seen some of the qualities observed in Latu at UCLA translate to the NFL. “One thing we noticed in the draft process was he’s pretty polished,” defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. Latu’s array of pass-rush moves has been on display, but the next step is to perfect the countermoves that will also be necessary against the skilled pass-protectors he’ll see in the regular season. Look for Latu to play in obvious pass-rush situations, which sets him up for potential high sack numbers,” Holder wrote.

Last season, the Indianapolis Colts won nine games and made the postseason. On the rise, they should be winning just as many games this season, providing pass-rushing opportunities late in games where players such as Latu can pin their ears back and get after the quarterback.

There are improvements that Latu can make to earn more playing time. He needs to improve as a run defender, but the Colts have the luxury of not overextending him as a rookie.

They can afford to wait and develop him, giving him more playing time when he is ready. For now, they will play to his strengths, using him to get into the backfield as a pass-rusher.

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