NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah understands why New Orleans Saints fans are leery of seeing their team pick another pass rusher — they’ve swung and missed at several prospects early in recent draft cycles.
Marcus Davenport. Payton Turner. Now, Isaiah Foskey. All of them have failed to deliver either for missing time with injuries or not producing when on the field. It’s been a frustrating experience for the Saints to pour so many resources into the position group and have so little to show for it.
And the pass rush is an area of concern for the Saints again this year after they failed to get after the quarterback last season. One popular prospect for them in media mock drafts is UCLA star Laiatu Latu, who Jeremiah describes as a breath of fresh air given New Orleans’ past approach.
“Look, with Latu, he is totally different than those guys you just mentioned,” Jeremiah began, speaking on a national conference call Thursday. “So their formula that they had been chasing is more traits-based. All those guys you mentioned were kind of more raw, not technical pass rushers, but big, physical, explosive guys who weren’t technicians.”
The 6-foot-4, 261-pound Latu has plenty of size for the Saints’ standards even if he isn’t as tall as Tanoh Kpassagnon or as heavy as Cameron Jordan. And he’s been highly productive in two years at UCLA. Latu sacked the quarterback 23.5 times in 25 games while racking up 34 tackles for loss. He also finished with five forced fumbles and two interceptions. He’s a game-changer, and it’s a result of the work he’s put in to hone his craft.
Jeremiah continued: “Latu is a technician, man. I compare him to Trey Hendrickson. He is really good with his hands. He can win a variety of ways. He has a natural feel for pass rush. Some parts of the pass rush remind me of wide receivers. There’s route runners. There’s an artistry to it. Latu is an artist.”
That’s not to say Latu is a perfect prospect. He transferred to UCLA and missed the 2020 and 2021 seasons after a neck injury threatened his college career. It hasn’t been a problem in the years since, but it’s an injury history teams like the Saints must take seriously.
He’s moved on from that scary incident and developed into maybe the best pass rusher in this year’s draft class. Teams like the Saints would be wise to consider him.
“He is really, really gifted that way. So a totally different style than the guys that you mentioned that maybe they haven’t hit on in the past,” Jeremiah finished.
