UCLA Football: Colts Owner Believes Laiatu Latu Could Have All-Pro Season Eventually

Latu was the top defensive player off the board this season.

Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former UCLA football defensive end Laiatu Latu has stood out through his first NFL training camp this summer with the Indianapolis Colts. The No. 15 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft has put up pressures, sacks, and tackles during camp, joint practices, and the preseason so far, leaving the Colts excited for what the rookie will bring when the season begins.

Colts owner Jim Irsay is already bullish on what Latu can accomplish over the course of his career, telling the television broadcast on Saturday that he could eventually see Latu "having a 15-sack season," via James Boyd.

#Colts owner Jim Irsay says via the TV broadcast that he could eventually see rookie first-round pick Laiatu Latu "having a 15 sack season."

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) August 18, 2024

Latu, who overcame a neck injury that nearly ended his football career, proved he was capable of putting up that kind of season over his two seasons at UCLA. With the Bruins in 2022, Latu recorded 10.5 sacks in 13 games for the Bruins, including a three-sack game against Colorado in Week 4.

The 6-foot-5 edge rusher followed that season up with an even better one in 2023, posting 49 total tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles in 12 games. He helped UCLA finish the season with the No. 10 ranked defense and the No. 6 overall defense in sacks, as Latu led a Bruins team that piled up 43 sacks a season ago.

For his remarkable 2023 campaign, he won the Lombardi Award as well as the Ted Hendricks Award, which is given to the best defensive end in college football. He additionally was named first-team All-Pac-12, a unanimous All-American, and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Latu managed to come within two sacks of that 15-sack mark Irsay talked about in just 12 games while with UCLA. The NFL now plays 17-game seasons, which would give Latu five more games to pile up sacks if he proves able to translate his production to the NFL level.

During the 2023 season, just five NFL defenders crossed the 15-sack mark including Pittsburgh Steelers' T.J. Watt (19 sacks), Cincinnati Bengals' Trey Hendrickson (17.5 sacks), Jacksonville Jaguars' Josh Hines-Allen (17.5 sacks), Los Angeles Chargers' Khalil Mack (17 sacks), and Minnesota Vikings' Danielle Hunter (16.5 sacks).

Over the last 10 years, no more than five defenders have finished a season with at least 15 sacks, meaning Latu would join an exclusive group if he can put up that kind of season in his future. Latu makes his NFL regular season debut on Sep. 8 against the Houston Texans.

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