Colts Select Laiatu Latu Edge UCLA

[NewColtsFan]

59 minutes ago, w87r said:

No need 

 

Ekubam and Latu, will only take up $15m.

 

Even picking up Paye's 5th year at $13m

 

That's only $28m at DE, about the price of 1 elite guy.

 

Still can add money for Dayo as well.

 

 I still think in 2025 both Paye and Dayo will be with the Colts.   Ballard let Pitt play out his 4-year contract, I think he could do the same with Kwity and Dayo and still bring them back.   Ballard is confident that way. 

[Shive]

Please take the round 2 discussion here:

 

I've moved more recent posts to that thread.

[Dobbinblitz]

A special phone call for Laiatu Latu

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Laiatu Latu was just moments into his NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts when he got a call from Colts owner Jim Irsay right on the draft stage. 

“I was on the phone for like a good five minutes,” Latu said, “but then they were rushing me to get off the stage but I wanted to talk to him.” 

Latu said Irsay couldn’t wait to get him in the team facilities to train, especially alongside edge rusher Kwity Paye. The Colts drafted Paye, a Michigan product, in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

[boo2202]

2 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

 I still think in 2025 both Paye and Dayo will be with the Colts.   Ballard let Pitt play out his 4-year contract, I think he could do the same with Kwity and Dayo and still bring them back.   Ballard is confident that way. 

Has paye earned it? Imo he hasn’t. Just Ballard hanging onto hope for another one of his picks. 

[w87r]

1 minute ago, Dobbinblitz said:

A special phone call for Laiatu Latu

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Laiatu Latu was just moments into his NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts when he got a call from Colts owner Jim Irsay right on the draft stage. 

“I was on the phone for like a good five minutes,” Latu said, “but then they were rushing me to get off the stage but I wanted to talk to him.” 

Latu said Irsay couldn’t wait to get him in the team facilities to train, especially alongside edge rusher Kwity Paye. The Colts drafted Paye, a Michigan product, in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Doesn't sound like a team ready to move on from Paye.

 

 

I would give him his 5th year bonus and reevaluate again after the season, long term.

[DynaMike]

38 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

...He doesn’t like Ballard nothing wrong with that but the twisting to make sure you can hate on him that’s been done is a little over the top for me.  
 

I’ll admit Ballard has made lots of mistakes and I can understand why some are tired of him.  I just find it hard for people to be mad at him tonight, he got the top defensive player on their board at 15, gave up nothing to do it, and got maybe the second hardest position to find in football to boot.  On draft night that’s a home run in terms of value at 15...  
 

Well, his username is Boo. That seems appropriate!

[DynaMike]

55 minutes ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

...Doesn’t seem to be a very deep class after this first round.

I've heard & read the opposite. Ultimately nobody will know for a few years.

[DynaMike]

I personally like this pick, but never thought CB would draft him b/c he has short-ish arms. Maybe Ballard is evolving???

[cjwhiskers]

Ballard in his presser insinuates it was for an offensive player.

 

[GoColts8818]

18 minutes ago, w87r said:

Doesn't sound like a team ready to move on from Paye.

 

 

I would give him his 5th year bonus and reevaluate again after the season, long term.

I don’t really take that from that quote.  I mean I also don’t expect Paye or Dayo to be moved this off-season either.  I just think both will need good years to be retained and nothing from that quote changes my mind, especially since it’s come out Latu already works out with Paye and others on the Colts dline.

[NewColtsFan]

17 minutes ago, boo2202 said:

Has paye earned it? Imo he hasn’t. Just Ballard hanging onto hope for another one of his picks. 

If you’d listen to Ballard’s presser tonight, he spoke glowingly about Kwity.  You might not like him but Ballard sure does.  
 

Honestly, I think Ballard tonight is worth your time.    It’s short, less than 10 minutes.   You might reconsider your view after that.   

[ColtStrong2013]

 

Ballard says they put several offers (big ones) to trade up. He was feisty with the reporters tonight. They basically asked if it was for a receiver and he responded that they were able to pick the defensive player they wanted, so it’s not hard to put two and two together. Said it takes two to tango on a deal and for teams to move back to 15, they potentially miss out. They identified a handful of elite players, made an attempt at a few, no one was budging, and were very lucky to have their choice on defense. 
 

The last question was if he was concerned of Latu’s age. And he said “23?… no, we tried to sign a 29 year old.” (Referring to Hunter) and laughed as he left. Sounds like they feel pretty good. But they definitely were looking to trade up for one of Harrison, Nabers, Odunze, Bowers. Likely one of the three receivers. Not sure we were as hot on Bowers as we would think. 

[GoColts8818]

Just now, cjwhiskers said:

Ballard in his presser insinuates it was for an offensive player.

 

Well they got the top guy on their defensive board since he was the first defensive player taken so yeah that makes sense it would have been for an offensive guys, had to be one of the WRs.  Didn’t seem like teams were as willing to trade out like some thought they would be.  Most of the trades we saw tonight were very small moves.  There was no one going up more than a handful of spots.

[GoColts8818]

32 minutes ago, Patrick Miller said:

We haven’t had a freeney/mathis type in a long time. I hope this kid is it. 

Since Mathis really.

[Indeee]

2 hours ago, MikeCurtis said:

Love the pick!!!!

 

This guy will be our double digit sack guy for 10 years

Bull%6

[Goatface Killah]

40 minutes ago, smittywerb said:

maybe I do, idk.  But we can agree Paye is not on Trey Hendrickson and we had an opportunity to possibly upgrade at one of the most important positions in our scheme.  
 

I’m not saying Paye is bad.  I said he’s serviceable.  But for someone like Ebukam to come in and do what he did in one year let me know we could use an upgrade.

Are you comparing Paye to Hendrickson who is in year 8? Thats just not fair to Kwity. You need to allow guys time to develop. 

 

Ebukam is a guy they are probably gonna let walk after this year. Buck isnt getting any younger. There is plenty of room for all these guys.

 

I think the plan is for Paye, Dayo and Latu to be the core of this defensive line for a long time. 

 

 

[GoColts8818]

3 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

 

Ballard says they put several offers (big ones) to trade up. He was feisty with the reporters tonight. They basically asked if it was for a receiver and he responded that they were able to pick the defensive player they wanted, so it’s not hard to put two and two together. Said it takes two to tango on a deal and for teams to move back to 15, they potentially miss out. They identified a handful of elite players, made an attempt at a few, no one was budging, and were very lucky to have their choice on defense. 
 

The last question was if he was concerned of Latu’s age. And he said “23?… no, we tried to sign a 29 year old.” (Referring to Hunter) and laughed as he left. Sounds like they feel pretty good. But they definitely were looking to trade up for one of Harrison, Nabers, Odunze, Bowers. Likely one of the three receivers. Not sure we were as hot on Bowers as we would think. 

Bowers only went a couple of spots before them so he wouldn’t have required a big offer to go get so yeah I think it’s safe to say it was one of the WRs.  Clearly it wasn’t one of the tackles or QBs so that only leaves the WRs really.

[ColtStrong2013]

Just now, GoColts8818 said:

Bowers only went a couple of spots before them so he wouldn’t have required a big offer to go get so yeah I think it’s safe to say it was one of the WRs.  Clearly it wasn’t one of the tackles or QBs so that only leaves the WRs really.

Yeah they didn’t have the same value on him. If they put a big offer even on Odunze at 9, then a similar offer gets Bowers. They just didn’t value him, and I don’t know why I’m surprised by it, because Ballard’s repeatedly talked about blocking tight ends value. I’m going to be watching Latu clips all weekend now. He says he believes Latu was the final piece to the d-line and considers it excellent, by far the best since he’s been here. 
 

no excuses- trenches are important. Arguably the best o-line and d-line going into 2024 during his tenure. He has the qb. Has some weapons, obviously looking to add. I would expect a receiver 2nd round. Maybe we trade up right off the bat.

[OLD FAN MAN]

2 hours ago, AwesomeAustin said:

Guess I will have to trust their judgement on this one. Thought Turner was the better guy. 

ballard has not been good at drafting pass rushers maybe this one will work out if his neck holds up to nfl contact

[GoColts8818]

12 minutes ago, ColtStrong2013 said:

Yeah they didn’t have the same value on him. If they put a big offer even on Odunze at 9, then a similar offer gets Bowers. They just didn’t value him, and I don’t know why I’m surprised by it, because Ballard’s repeatedly talked about blocking tight ends value. I’m going to be watching Latu clips all weekend now. He says he believes Latu was the final piece to the d-line and considers it excellent, by far the best since he’s been here. 
 

no excuses- trenches are important. Arguably the best o-line and d-line going into 2024 during his tenure. He has the qb. Has some weapons, obviously looking to add. I would expect a receiver 2nd round. Maybe we trade up right off the bat.

Or he knew around 11 or 12 one of the guys he wanted was going to be there at 15 and just decided to let it play out.  I do agree with you he was swinging for the fences trying to get one of the big three WRs.  Just didn’t work out, hopefully this is one of those sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make cases.  
 

I think WR is going to be one of the options tomorrow but so will corner, safety and perhaps DT or LB depending on what’s there.  They need a running back too but I think that comes later in the draft than tomorrow.  

[Knuckles79]

Looking forward to see him play. Kids seems to have the heart and desire to succeed!

[Superman]

I've been calling out DE as a target position since January.

 

I'm surprised that the Colts took a risk with his medical, when they tend to be more conservative with stuff like this. They're obviously comfortable with it, and after listening to his comments about what happened at Washington, it sounds like maybe they gave up too quickly. No doubt the Colts did their due diligence. We'll see how it plays out. 

 

He's a great prospect. Not my favorite guy in this draft, but no doubt about what he brings to the table. He's the most polished pass rusher in this draft, and the most accomplished. But he's not just a technician, he has burst and power and speed, and he can bend enough. You want production over RAS? How about both? 

 

I don't know how much upside he has. He's not the most exciting prospect to me for that reason. He can still be really good. 

[danlhart87]

[Dobbinblitz]

Apparently, that was  the latest the first defensive player went off the board in an NFL draft.

[Yoshinator]

8 minutes ago, danlhart87 said:

Latu is an absolute beast. Ballard went BPA. He said he might do this before the draft, and he did. That was incredible we had our choice of every defensive player. Not only did we get him before the other EDGEs and start a run, but we got a position that falls off some after the 1st round and we left ourselves CB and WR for day 2 which are much deeper positions. We also avoided the landmine of trading down where the EDGE run would have taken all of them out.

 

Ballard couldn't have played day 1 of the draft more perfectly.

[Dobbinblitz]

16 minutes ago, Superman said:

I've been calling out DE as a target position since January.

 

I'm surprised that the Colts took a risk with his medical, when they tend to be more conservative with stuff like this. They're obviously comfortable with it, and after listening to his comments about what happened at Washington, it sounds like maybe they gave up too quickly. No doubt the Colts did their due diligence. We'll see how it plays out. 

 

He's a great prospect. Not my favorite guy in this draft, but no doubt about what he brings to the table. He's the most polished pass rusher in this draft, and the most accomplished. But he's not just a technician, he has burst and power and speed, and he can bend enough. You want production over RAS? How about both? 

 

I don't know how much upside he has. He's not the most exciting prospect to me for that reason. He can still be really good. 

Yeah, I am glad the production is there to back up the physical tools. The position is brutal to fill effectively so I am glad the Colts jumped on it.

 

i was surprised by the lack of team communication with the player.  Especially,with some of the medical concerns It seemed like half the organization was involved with interviewing Bowers. It was almost like they never expected him to be an option and were shocked he still was available when they picked.  

[Stephen]

35 minutes ago, Superman said:

I've been calling out DE as a target position since January.

 

I'm surprised that the Colts took a risk with his medical, when they tend to be more conservative with stuff like this. They're obviously comfortable with it, and after listening to his comments about what happened at Washington, it sounds like maybe they gave up too quickly. No doubt the Colts did their due diligence. We'll see how it plays out. 

 

He's a great prospect. Not my favorite guy in this draft, but no doubt about what he brings to the table. He's the most polished pass rusher in this draft, and the most accomplished. But he's not just a technician, he has burst and power and speed, and he can bend enough. You want production over RAS? How about both? 

 

I don't know how much upside he has. He's not the most exciting prospect to me for that reason. He can still be really good. 

Perhaps they learned from passing on sweat. Can't  believe  6 qbs went before  we picked.

[Stephen]

10 minutes ago, Dobbinblitz said:

Yeah, I am glad the production is there to back up the physical tools. The position is brutal to fill effectively so I am glad the Colts jumped on it.

 

i was surprised by the lack of team communication with the player.  Especially,with some of the medical concerns It seemed like half the organization was involved with interviewing Bowers. It was almost like they never expected him to be an option and were shocked he still was available when they picked.  

An elite pass rusher probably  as hard to find as a qb especially  when you rarely pick in top 5

[ProblChld32]

2 hours ago, Restinpeacesweetchloe said:

What are bills doing trading with KC?

They cleaned house the need all the picks they can get.

[ProblChld32]

41 minutes ago, Superman said:

I've been calling out DE as a target position since January.

 

I'm surprised that the Colts took a risk with his medical, when they tend to be more conservative with stuff like this. They're obviously comfortable with it, and after listening to his comments about what happened at Washington, it sounds like maybe they gave up too quickly. No doubt the Colts did their due diligence. We'll see how it plays out. 

 

He's a great prospect. Not my favorite guy in this draft, but no doubt about what he brings to the table. He's the most polished pass rusher in this draft, and the most accomplished. But he's not just a technician, he has burst and power and speed, and he can bend enough. You want production over RAS? How about both? 

 

I don't know how much upside he has. He's not the most exciting prospect to me for that reason. He can still be really good. 

In the presser Ballard said they asked the doctors tons of questions and they saw no red flags so they weren’t worried about the medical.

[Patrick Miller]

1 hour ago, GoColts8818 said:

Since Mathis really.

You never know.

[stitches]

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)

 

[Patrick Miller]

With all the young gunslingers in our division  you may be pretty happy with the Latu pick if he’s planting them in the ground!  IMO we need a boost at Edge. Paye just hasn’t lived up to expectations.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

4 hours ago, indyagent17 said:

They’re saying he’s one injury away from being out of the NFL. Are you kidding me?

 

.....and one snowboarding accident too. 

[stitches]

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."

[smittywerb]

2 hours ago, Goatface Killah said:

Are you comparing Paye to Hendrickson who is in year 8? Thats just not fair to Kwity. You need to allow guys time to develop. 

 

Ebukam is a guy they are probably gonna let walk after this year. Buck isnt getting any younger. There is plenty of room for all these guys.

 

I think the plan is for Paye, Dayo and Latu to be the core of this defensive line for a long time. 

 

 

I mean, i kinda ma because in year 4 Trey had 13.5 sacks and probably way more pressures than paye has had in year 4.  Paye has one more year to show he can be the pass rusher we need.  
 

and only reason why Trey was being compared to Paye is because someone else brought him.  There is honestly no comparison when it comes to their year 4s

[Sheffieldcolt]

First post here but I do really like this pick. Sure the injury side of things is a risk but he’s played 2 years with it and had no problems from it, so I don’t see why it’s anymore of a risk picking him than taking a player who isn’t as talented and hoping he ends up been the better player than Latu. Just my opinion but there’s always some form of risk with picks but at least skill doesn’t seem to be one with Latu

[LJpalmbeacher2]

I haven't paid much attention to the draft and looking OR making mocks 'cause with Ballard you usually will be disappointed...... like most on this Forum are tonight. Lol

 

But I wasn't surprised by a defensive linemen being picked. I didn't think he would go CB or trade up for a elite receiver or Bowers would fall to 15. And honestly I know noting about Latu  except a few highlights I seen switching from the draft and Yankee game. 

I liked the highlights but not crazy about the conference he played in and  his medical history.

 

I was hoping for Bowers but not surprised he's not a colt especially when Denver chose the last QB and the raiders were right behind them. I heard the raiders liked Bowers and with no QB left to possibly sway them I had a feeling they would grab him. We all know it was unlikely Ballard would trade up for him(even if he had him high on his board?)

 

Kudos for the bears getting a great prospect, I hope they don't mess him up.  And to the Patriots for getting imo the second best QB. The Falcons getting Pence for life after Cousins(which may be sooner than later) I think was a good move. 

 

 

[Boondoggle]

Latu is an absolute beast.  Indy is going to love him.

[Trace Pyott]

If we can somehow trade up and get dejean I will never complain about Ballard again ( at least for awhile anyways) lol.  I really want dejean. I really like the way he plays.  If not him, I guess go for the best WR or CB available.