Colts camp observations: First-rounder Laiatu Latu wrecks Anthony Richardson's 2-minute drill

WESTFIELD — Forced inside by the flooding rains that drenched the Indianapolis area overnight, the Colts finished off practice Friday by putting the top two units in an end-of-game situation, asking the offense to drive for a field goal with a little more than a minute left on the clock.

Anthony Richardson got two tries at the situation, and Joe Flacco took the other.

But Richardson faced an obstacle Flacco could blissfully avoid.

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Rookie defensive end Laiatu Latu , the first-round pick whose natural pass-rush ability has flashed time and time again during training camp.

A Jonathan Taylor run picked up six yards to start the first-team offense’s opening chance at the drive, and then an overthrown out route by Richardson put the offense in a third-down situation.

Latu blew up the play, shimmying into the backfield for a “sack” that ended the drive prematurely.

The second time Richardson took the field, the Colts quarterback got off to a good start, marching to the other side of midfield with four consecutive completions to Josh Downs , Kylen Granson , Michael Pittman Jr. and Granson again, only to see Latu and the Indianapolis pass rush throw a wrench into the process.

With the clock winding down and the pocket collapsing, Richardson threw the ball away before he got out of the pocket, earning a costly flag for intentional grounding from the referees.

“We had to move back, have a 10-second run-off,” Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen said. “It was great that it came up (as a teaching point)."

Richardson rebounded with a completion over the middle to Pittman to get the first-team offense in field-goal range, but rookie kicker Spencer Shrader left a 55-yard field goal attempt short, giving Latu and the defense two wins to enjoy.

Latu's quickness and fluidity were on display throughout the practice. Finally given a chance to test starting left tackle Bernhard Raimann in 1-on-1 pass rush drills, Latu initially beat Raimann off the line, missing a win only because of a Herculean recovery by Raimann to reengage. Indianapolis also gave Latu a chance to rush with star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in a 2-on-2 pass rush drill against starting right guard Will Fries and swing tackle Blake Freeland, and the pairing caved in the right side of the pocket.

"I told them they're going to have to switch that, because they're going to slide the whole offensive line over there," nose tackle Grover Stewart said.

Flacco had more luck in his chance at the 2-minute drill.

The veteran backup opened his session by hitting Trey Sermon once and Ashton Dulin twice, clocking the ball after the third consecutive completion to buy a little more time, then hitting tight end Drew Ogletree and rookie wide receiver Anthony Gould to get within striking distance of the end zone.

Flacco fired incomplete on the next two throws, but he’d already done enough work to get kicker Matt Gay in range for a 36-yard field goal. Gay knocked it through, kicking the ball with enough power and height to clip the bottom of the large American flag that hangs at the end of the indoor facility at Grand Park.

Tough day

Richardson’s final 2-minute drill gave him a respectable 8-for-12 passing day, but the Colts defense gave him trouble throughout the Friday session.

Indianapolis slot cornerback Kenny Moore II picked up a “sack” on Richardson in a red-zone series, cornerback JuJu Brents broke up another pass and Richardson tossed his second interception of training camp, a deep ball into double coverage that ended up in the hands of safety Julian Blackmon .

Blackmon, the team’s best performer in the secondary through the first six practices of training camp, has both of the interceptions Richardson has thrown at Grand Park so far.

“Sometimes it’s frustrating when you’ve got Julian Blackmon back there intercepting the ball, but he’s just making me better,” Richardson said. “I’m definitely having fun with it.”

Latu also got Richardson for another “sack,” closing down so quickly on a bootleg action that Richardson had nowhere to go.

“You can’t just pull the ball expecting to get outside as easy as it should be,” Richardson said. “He’s a great young player, and he keeps me honest when I’m on the zone read.”

Rookie Adonai Mitchell rebounds

Adonai Mitchell ’s contributions in 11-on-11 work have been inconsistent in training camp so far, an understandable development given the rookie’s lack of familiarity with the Colts offense or the NFL in general.

The team’s second-round pick made a few plays in Grand Park’s indoor facility on Friday.

Mitchell took advantage of a defensive mistake — either a slip or a blown coverage by a defensive back — on the first 11-on-11 play of practice to pick up more than 25 yards on a strike from Richardson, then shook free of coverage in a red-zone period for a touchdown pass from Flacco.

He also drew a flag for pass interference on cornerback Brents, who wasn’t able to avoid contact as Mitchell adjusted for an underthrown deep ball from Richardson.

Colts injury report

Defensive end Titus Leo returned to practice three days after being carted off the field with a knee injury.

Defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo (calf), linebacker Jaylon Carlies (hip), tight end Will Mallory (hamstring), cornerback Ameer Speed and linebacker Cameron McGrone did not practice due to injury.

Defensive tackle Raekwon Davis remains on the active/non-football illness list due to high blood pressure, and defensive back Chris Lammons is still on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing offseason surgery on his ankle.

Quick hitters

Veteran defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis looks like he’s picking up where he left off after recording four sacks and finishing third on the team with 39 pressures in a rotational role. Lewis has played both defensive end spots and rushed from the interior, and he’s been excellent in 1-on-1 pass rush, beating offensive linemen with his quickness and agility. … Veteran wide receiver Ashton Dulin remains productive. Working mostly with Flacco, Dulin had three catches and five targets in 11-on-11 work, as well as two more catches in 7-on-7. … Undrafted linebacker Craig Young made a nice play on a Sam Ehlinger pass downfield, ripping the ball away from tight end Jordan Murray at the last second.

Follow IndyStar Colts Insider Joel A. Erickson on X at @JoelAErickson .

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts camp observations: First-rounder Laiatu Latu wrecks Anthony Richardson's 2-minute drill