The Indianapolis Colts picked UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit on Thursday night.
Latu (6-5, 259 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds and a 10-yard split in 1.62 seconds at the NFL combine. He started his career at Washington, playing in 12 games as a freshman in 2019.
After suffering a neck injury, Latu did not play in 2020 or 2021. He transferred to UCLA in 2022 and was cleared to play again and quickly made a big impact for the Bruins.
Latu earned first-team All-Pac-12 recognition after recording 10.5 sacks in 2022, then he was named the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 after recording 13 sacks last fall.
In addition to the DPOY award, Latu also won the Ted Hendricks Award (given to college football’s top defensive end) and he was named a first-team All-American. After five years in college, Latu now enters the NFL as a 23-year-old rookie set to turn 24 in December.
If his injury woes are behind him, Latu could be one of the top pass rushers to emerge from this year’s NFL draft.
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