stitches
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Dane Brugler's profile on Latu in his draft guide:
3. LAIATU LATU | UCLA 6046 | 259 lbs. | 5SR Sacramento, Calif. (Jesuit) 12/31/2000 (age 23.32) #15
BACKGROUND: Laiatu (lay-AH-too) Latu (LAH-too), the oldest of four children (two boys and two girls), grew up in Sacramento. He was a do-everything athlete throughout childhood, playing baseball, basketball, football, soccer and rugby. Latu enrolled at Jesuit High School, a privat e Catholic school in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael and played on the JV team as a 150-pound freshman. After adding weight and moving up to varsity as a sophomore, he flourished as a pass-rushing linebacker in the team’s 3-4 scheme. As a junior, Latu posted 65 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, leading the program to 10 wins and earning first team AllMetro honors. As a seniorin 2018, he recorded 94 tackles and 29.5 tackles for loss to earn first team All-State and All-League. Latu finished his varsity career with 178 tackles, 50.5 tackles for loss and 27 sacks, adding 356 receiving yards as a tight end and 476 punting yards on special teams. Latu also lettered in rugby (his main love) and led the program to national championships in 2017 and 2019. He considered playing professional rugby overseas after high school.
A four-star recruit, Latu was the No. 6 weakside defensive end in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 20 recruit in California (No. 3 pass rusher in the state behind 2022 draft picks Kayvon Thibodeaux and Drake Jackson). He started getting noticed as a recruit during his junior year and picked up his first offer (Oregon State). Latu later added offers from Alabama, Notre Dame and Tennessee, but he wanted to stay on the West Coast. He had a final five of Ca l, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington and signed with the Huskies in December 2018. Latu was the No. 3 recruit in Washington’s 2019 class behind Puka Nacua and Trent McDuffie. After playing a reserve role as a true freshman, he suffered a serious neck injury during practice before the 2020 season and was forced to medically retire in the spring of 2021. He stayed close to the Huskies program as a student assistant during the 2021 season, and a year after his injury, he saw a specialist (the same doctor who performed Peyton Manning’s neck surgery) and was medically cleared. He played rugby during his rehab and was offered a contract by the professional Seattle Seawolves rugby team, but he didn’t want to give up on his football dream.
Looking for a fresh start, he entered the transfer portal in November 2021. Ikaika Malloe, whom Latu considers a “father figu re,” was his position coach at Washington and left for the UCLA coaching staff in December 2021. Malloe recommended Latu to coach Chip Kelly,and Latu joined the Bruins in January 2022. In April 2022, Latu was officially cleared and put the pads back on that summer for the first time in almost two years. His younger brother (Keleki) played tight end at California (2021-22) before transferring to Nevada for the 2023 season. Latu opted out of the 2023 bowl game and accepted his invitation to the 2024 Senior Bowl.
STRENGTHS: Crafty, punctual pass rusher … owns a master’s degree in cross-chop maneuvers (his go-to move is a Euro chop) … fast, strong hands for effective armovers, ghost moves and quick sheds … bursts off the snap with body flexibility to corner at the top of rush … hits the turbo button after clearing the outside shoulder ofthe blocker … uses a filthy jab step to shorten the edge and displays an innate feel for creating rush angles … plays with a ton of energy and feet are never stagnant … stays balanced through contact and is accustomed to seeing extra attention … quick eyes/reads lead to line-of-scrimmage stops in the run game … always rallying to the football and pursing to the perimeter … rugby (his favorite sport) developed his toughness and aggression on the football field (turned down a professional rugby career in the Premiership in England) … flagged only once in 2023 (offsides) … heads-up player when zone dropping to find passing lanes … notched two interceptions in 2023, and NFL scouts say UCLA coaches believe he would have been their best tight end had they played him on offense … didn’t miss a game the past two seasons after his medical retirement in 2021 … highly determined and doesn’t waste an ounce of talent (Chip Kelly: “He works really hard at his craft.”) … productive college resume and led the team in sacks, tackles for loss and pressures in both of seasons at UCLA.
WEAKNESSES: Below-average arm length by NFL standards … tends to play tall versus the run and needs to be more consistent controlling the point of attack … must better anticipate outside design to contain runs to his side … more of a hug-and-drag tackler and needs toclean up his misses (had at least one missed tackle in every 2023 tape studied) … injury history will be scrutinized by NFL teams after two-and-a-half years away from football — suffered a neck injury in practice (November 2020) that created numbness and required surgery; after consulting several specialists, Latu was forced to medically retire i n the spring of 2021, but he kept his dreams alive and transferred to UCLA (January 2022), where he was cleared before the 2022 season … started only one season in college (although he played starterlevel snaps in 2022).
SUMMARY: A one-year starter at UCLA, Latu was an outside edge rusher in former defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s scheme, splitting his time standing up and rushing with his hand on the ground (was also schemed inside at times). Medically rejected at Washington, he was cleared by doctors after transferring to UCLA and was extremely productive over the past two seasons,with 129 total pressures in 25 games. After leading the FBS in tackles for loss in 2023, the consensus AllAmerican cleaned up on the awards circuit as a senior, taking home the Morris Trophy (best DL in Pac-12), Ted Hendricks Award (top DE in FBS) and Lombardi Award (top OL/DL in FBS). For pass rushers, there is a saying: “Beat the hands, beat the man.” Latu lives by this principle with the cohesive way he weaponizes his hands and feet to defeat blocks (led the FBS with a 24.6 percent passrush win percentage in 2023). As a run defender, his lack of ideal length and pop will show at times, but he made significant improvements with his read/react in this area as a senior. Overall, Latu’s medical history will play a major part in his draft grade, but he is a passrush technician with the instinctive feel and athletic bend to be an impactful “two-way go” rusher in the NFL. His play style and journey are reminiscent of Miami Dolphins 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips.
GRADE: 1st-2nd Round (No. 22 overall)
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On 3/25/2024 at 7:26 PM, stitches said:
My thought of the day: I think I want Laiatu Latu if we are going to be going for DE in the 1st. He will be my EDGE1 in this draft. Just.. .the more I watch of him and the other EDGEs ... the more I just cannot ignore how skilled he is. I am not sure I've seen this refined of a pass-rusher recently. It's almost like he's playing completely different game than any of the other EDGEs in this draft. And then he went on and tested above 9 RAS... like WHAT? Today I heard another metric in PFF's podcast... there's this in-game athleticism score(GAS) they have. And they have him measured at 97.1 out 100 in 2022 and 99.7 in 2023!!! They have him as an elite functional athlete, even though he doesn't look like it at first sight. And then the final nail - even production-wise he's the best pass-rusher in the draft... has 27 sacks last 2 years... 62 pressures this year, 65 last year... 21.5 FTLs this year, 12.5 last year... those are insane numbers. Those are better numbers than many of the EDGEs that have been drafted in the top 5(like the Bosas, like ... even Myles Garrett) don't hit...
If our doctors clear him medically... I think I'd be ecstatic to get him at 15.
My bump up... from exactly a month ago.
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BTW was reading somewhere that the 49ers are looking to trade Deebo rather than Aiyuk. This is interesting... is it possible Ballard trades for him?
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9 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:
I think a lot of the WR that were expected to go round 2 early went in round one though. I could be wrong.
That is true, too... We are in a run of WRs right now too... No idea where it stops and who is left when we pick. But in general the class is really deep with WRs. I think even in R3 you are probably going to get good players.
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11 minutes ago, boo2202 said:
There’s 0 value in drafting a WR in Rd 2 now. The value sits on the defensive side now. This was known coming into the draft.
That's actually not true. WR in R2 and R3 is actually the best value. PFF had a stat for drafts after 2015 and the drop off in R2 and R3 producing starters was the smallest at WR than in any other position. It was something like:
WR:
R1: 60%
R2 and R3: 50%
In comparison for EDGE the stats were something along the lines of:
R1:60%
R2:25%
So ... purely analytically, the Colts did the right thing if you believe in the player you took... which I personally love Latu so no objections on my end. And usually day 2 is golden for WRs compared to other position.
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On 4/24/2024 at 10:31 PM, stitches said:
Since after I posted my bold prediction in our no. 15 pick thread and got tons of replies on it, I decided to post a separate thread where we all unload our unpopular takes/bold predictions/hot takes about the draft tomorrow. So ... here we go...
Here's mine:
- Chargers take Joe Alt at 5 and this an avalanche of OT picks and trade ups for OTs
Got that one right.
On 4/24/2024 at 10:31 PM, stitches said:- Colts trade back in the 1st and take Xavier Worthy
Nope.
On 4/24/2024 at 10:31 PM, stitches said:- Not sure this fits... but... only 4 QBs go in R1.
Nope. 6 in top 12!!! WOW!
On 4/24/2024 at 10:31 PM, stitches said:- At least 8 OTs go in R1
Yep!
So I'm 50-50 on my bold predictions
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Just now, NFLfan said:
Lots of good players left. Who would you like for the Colts?
AD Mitchell? He won't last long IMO.
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Legette gone too ... run on WRs is on...
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WOW! Another one I wanted... also... Ayiuk possibly gone?
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3 minutes ago, Shive said:
Worthy isn't just another track star. His film shows a WR with quite a bit of technical skill and nuance. He's going to be great, especially in that KC offense.
Yeah, there is never a guarantee that a prospect will transition successfully to the league, but he has more than just speed. IMO the biggest questions with him are about his size and whether he can hold up health-wise.
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Dammit... I wanted him for us...
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16 minutes ago, nsurg said:
So he had a cervical fusion... this is a surgery I do frequently. Once it heals the surgery is more or less the strongest part of the neck. The biggest problems with a fusion in this context are:
(1) loss of nerve function prior to surgery may or may not recover after surgery, usually over the next 3-12 months (but his production after surgery implies no major concern on this)
(2) the patient will have somewhat accelerated wear/arthritis at non fused levels. While this is a real concern, it will unfortunately be more of an issue for him later in life, after his NFL career.
Peyton had this surgery as his final neck surgery before playing for the broncos, but his problem was number one above, he apparently never had the same arm strength as before.
Ahmad Bradshaw also had this same surgery in 2013, he already had I think 6 years of RB play prior to that. His YPC held up but was utilized less, but this may mirror more a tapering RB career.
I'm not personally worried about the medical status of this player, but I have no idea the actual details obviously. I will say that very few surgeons would be eager to clear the player to play afterwards, mostly for the stupid liability things in medicine.
I think it's fair to say we got a really nice pick here for value.
Thanks for the information. Very valuable input...
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2 minutes ago, twfish said:
Wish was granted lol
Lets hope he does well and lets hope he holds up health-wise.
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2 minutes ago, DougDew said:
Wow, an EDGE at 15 after last year's QB at 4. It seems that the Colts are starting to understand positional value. Good pick.
I hope Latu has enough bend to turn the corner at the NFL level. Technique isn't everything.
Latu is the best technician since... Bosa probably? But I agree.. technique isn't everything.
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@NFLfan and @VikingsFanInChennai Congrats on getting your Hunter successor. That's who I thought he compared to pre-draft.
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Love Latu. He's the best defensive in this draft IMO. He has moves on moves on moves! I swear if you combine the best moves of the best 5 EDGE rushers in this class, Latu has them all in one body and at better level than any of them. He doesn't look like an elite athlete on film, but he tested like a great athlete in pretty much any aspect of the game - speed, agility... he's lacking a bit of explosiveness, but you can work on that. He also tested as an elite athlete in PFF's in-game athleticism score(GAS) - measured better than the Verses and the Turners of the world - 98th percentile in 2022 and 99.5th percentil in 2023.
He also has super high production. His production is at the level of the best of the best EDGE rushers taken in the draft in recent years. Tons of sacks, tons of pressures, tons of TFLs!
He has it all - athleticism and size, refined technical arsenal of moves, and tons of production. IMO without the injury concern he probably goes top 5 in most drafts.
I wished we would get a weapon for AR... but Latu IMO is a great pick and will help our pass-rush.
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Just now, NFLfan said:
You selected him at 9 for the Bears in the Gavin Mock Draft, no?
Yep! I put my "money" where my mouth is in that one.
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Hahahahah!!! Nice! I really like Latu. I thought he's the best defensive player in the draft! My only worry with him was the injury history.
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Pick is in. Confirmed... now ... who is it?
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He's talking about Latu? Wow!
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Looks like Steichen is on the phone. We might have turned the pick in?
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Just now, Solid84 said:
Thinking trade back if Ballard can find a trade partner.
Trade back... Worthy... not at all wishing for it because of Dr. T's contest...
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Just now, Solid84 said:
The dream is dead, long live the dream.
Xavier Worthy? AD Mitchell? Brian Thomas Jr?
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I didn't think Turner will be anywhere close to our pick so I haven't really talked about him recently. But he fits REALLY well with what Ballard likes...
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Colts Select Laiatu Latu Edge UCLA
in Colts Football
Posted
Greg Cosell's scouting report on Latu:
STRENGTHS:
- Outstanding length and frame for an edge rusher with natural twitch and suddenness to his movement. Explosive.
- Phenomenal quickness off the ball as pass rusher both outside and inside. Beats offensive linemen with sudden lateral twitch.
- Uses featured club arm-over move as wide-9 rusher to beat offensive tackles inside. Has balance to change direction and redirect.
- Flashes effective inside spin move off initial high side challenge. Has excellent balance, body control and burst.
- Does a good job as an edge pass rusher initiating and playing off contact with effective hand usage. Has multiple moves.
- Subtle hand usage is a foundation of his edge rush, along with lateral quickness to change direction and redirect.
- Uses quick, violent hands to break down offensive tackle technique then play off contact to win on the high side with burst to the quarterback.
- Body flexibility as an edge pass rusher allows him to bend the arc then flatten his rush path and close with speed to the quarterback.
- In 2023, always seemed to have a plan as an edge pass rusher, which was evident in the way in which he used his hands.
- Is a twitchy, sudden mover with both feet and hands and showed explosive power in his hands to displace offensive linemen.
- Effective inside at defensive tackle in sub-fronts working against an offensive guard. Showed ability to win with both quickness and strength.
- Has active hands in run game to defeat blocks with both quickness and power, staying on-balance to make plays.
- Arm extension in the run game both controls the offensive line and keep his feet clean to defeat blocks and make plays.
- Plays with heavy hands to jar and control offensive linemen off the snap. Created movement at line of scrimmage. Has a strong feel to his game.
WEAKNESSES:
- There were run game snaps where he could have played stronger taking on and displacing blocks — he got locked on.
- It’s not truly a weakness, but the medicals will be closely evaluated. (He was medically retired at Washington.)
BOTTOM LINE: "Latu is one of the best overall prospects in the 2024 draft class. You could easily make the argument that he's the best edge pass-rush prospect in the class. He possesses excellent size and length to play on the edge, and his pass-rush-traits profile is high level for a college player. He has a desirable combination of athleticism, explosiveness and advanced/refined hand usage with multiple moves in his arsenal."