The pads came on for the Indianapolis Colts for the first time on Tuesday, and rookie defensive end Laiatu Latu did not disappoint.
“I mean, it went great,” said Latu about playing in pads after practice. “I felt like it hasn’t changed drastically for me other than you get to thud a little bit. People got some tension going on, but I mean it’s been amazing.”
According to Joel Erickson of the Indy Star, Latu had wins in the one-on-one portion of practice against Jake Witt and Blake Freeland. Then during team portion, he blew by Bernhard Raimann for a “sack.”
“I mean, he’s a great player right now, but he’s just getting better and better every day,” said Raimann. “On the field, seriously, he’s impressive. He seems to fit right in with the defense. He’s quick. He’s physical. He fits the run game. It’s hard to block him in the run game because he’s so twitchy. Same in the pass pro as well. You got to bring your ‘A’ game against him and it makes all of us better.”
In just four practices, this is already the second one for Latu where he’s made some noise, but like any incoming rookie, there is always room for improvement.
Earlier in the offseason, Latu noted that an emphasis for him was refining his secondary pass rush moves so if the offensive line blocks the first one, he isn’t immediately taken out of the play.
Right now, the focus is on the fundamentals to help promote consistency.
“For me, it’s mostly just fixing up certain fundamental techniques that Coach P’s (Partridge) been coaching,” Latu said. “Just trying to get really more consistent with certain striking and other fundamentals like that. But, I mean, the play has been sticking with me. I’ve been getting dapped up and telling good job by vets and stuff like that. So that definitely carries me on.”
With Samson Ebukam out for the season, the need for Latu to have a quick impact becomes far greater for this Colts’ defense.
Success for the defense as a whole begins in the trenches with sacks and steady pressure providing a positive trickle-down effect to the rest of the unit. The Colts are coming off a season in which they produced 51 sacks, the fifth-most in football, although an area of improvement is in the consistency that they’re able to generate pressures.
Following the 2024 draft, GM Chris Ballard noted that Latu came to the NFL as a “polished” pass rusher and was someone who the team believed could make an impact sooner than later. While there is still a long ways to go before Week 1 arrives, in just a few practices, we are already seeing that playmaking ability
“I mean, I’m just going to keep carrying on like I been,” said Latu. “I’ve been fighting for that starting spot. Fighting to prove that I can be up there playing with the big dogs. So, I mean, I’m just going to continue doing that, like nothing changes for me.”
