UCLA Football: Could Laiatu Latu Be Heading to NFC South Team in Draft

Any team should be happy to have the Bruins great!

Oct 21, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Laiatu Latu (15) after / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA Bruins superstar edge rusher Laiatu Latu is set to hear his name called in this year's NFL draft. It will all kick off on Thursday, and many young prospects' dreams, including Latu's, will come true by then. 

After a handful of years in college and a scary neck injury that forced him to retire medically and to come back from that, Latu will be a focal point to a defense a couple of days from now. 

The only question is, "Where will he land?" 

Many mock drafts have him all over the place, ranging from a top-ten pick to a late first-round pick. However, according to the latest odds by DraftKings Sportsbook, he could be a top-ten pick. 

Latu has the second-best odds to land number eight overall to the Atlanta Falcons behind Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner. Latu has +170 odds of going to Atlanta, while Tunrer has the best odds at +160. 

Just this past week, Latu was the favorite, at +200 over Turner (+210), to be selected eighth overall by the Falcons. 

The 23-year-old from Sacramento is an all-world pass rusher. In his senior season at UCLA, Latu recorded 49 total tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks and was a winner of the Ted Hendricks and Lombardi Awards. The edge rusher was a unanimous All-American, the Pac-12's Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year, and the winner of the Morris Trophy, awarded to the best defensive lineman in the conference. 

We could see Latu taken from inside the top ten to later in the draft on Thursday night. 

More UCLA: Hall Of Fame Bruin Makes Cut Of Top 40 Best Team USA Players Ever