Has Colts' Laiatu Latu Been a Disappointment?

Indianapolis Colts rookie pass rusher Laiatu Latu has only a sack in 2024.

Sep 22, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) celebrates a sack during the second half against the Chicago Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Indianapolis Colts' pass rusher Laiatu Latu was selected 15th overall in this past draft class to finally give this team an elite presence off of the edge going forward. Looking at his play six games into the season, has Latu lived up to those lofty expectations?

The answer to that question lies heavily in what is valued out of pass rushers and the expectations that were set for a player like Latu. Has he been an all-world talent out of the gate for the team? No. Should that have been the expectation for the rookie pass rusher in the NFL? Probably not.

Latu has managed to log just one sack six games into his rookie season with the Colts. That one sack, a forced fumble late against the Chicago Bears, was impactful, but the splash plays haven't quite been there yet for the young pass rusher. He has been thrust into a bit more playing time than expected due to injuries to the veterans in front of him, but he hasn't quite figured out how to turn positive flashes into more impactful plays yet.

Couple Gus Bradley call notes:

-Thought Sunday was Colts best tackling game of year. 6 missed tackles vs. some games with 14 + 15

-On Laiatu Latu: “C'an’t say enough about him." Just 1 sack for Latu. But a better pressure number than Paye/Ebukam from 2023.

— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) October 15, 2024

If sacks are the be-all and end-all for pass rushers, then Latu has certainly disappointed this season. But if one wants to take a more nuanced approach to the this discussion, he has been perfectly fine this season (arguably better than fine in some games). The sack numbers may not show it, but he has been flashing considerably despite the situation around him this year.

Pro Football Focus currently has Latu with the 15th highest pass rush win rate among edge rushers in the NFL this season. He ranks ahead of players such as Will Anderson Jr., T.J Watt, Khalil Mack, Maxx Crosby, and Brian Burns in that metric. His 16.1% win rate is the second-highest edge rusher pass rush win rate of the Chris Ballard era in Indianapolis (behind only Jabaal Sheard's fantastic 2017 season).

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These two rushes against the Tennessee Titans this past weekend showcases exactly how polished the young pass rusher is. He beats rookie JC Latham cleanly on both plays but isn't able to come away with a sack on either.

Couple of strong pass rushes from Laiatu Latu against JC Latham on Sunday.

These two didn't get too many head to head rushes with Tennessee throwing so many screens and going max protect, along with Indy moving Latu around a ton pic.twitter.com/YRD3I2uqhB

— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) October 15, 2024

This isn't to say that Latu has been elite this season, but the flashes are certainly there for the young pass rusher. He needs to improve his ability to identify and play through chip blocks and he needs to add some muscle to his frame to truly make his cross chop deadly, but for a rookie edge rusher, he has been good enough to start the season.

The true issue with this entire conversation is the state of the Colts' pass rush room. Latu was originally expected to come in as a rotational player behind established starters such as Samson Ebukam and Kwity Paye. He was going to be a fresh, pass rush-only sub player that was used in the team's NASCAR package alongside Dayo Odeyingbo, DeForest Buckner, and one of the two aforementioned edge rushers above.

Due to injuries suffered early in the season (and in the offseason), the Colts' plans at edge rusher have completely derailed. Latu has logged way more snaps than expected at this point of the season, as Ebukam tore his Achilles in camp, Paye missed time early, and rotational rusher Tyquan Lewis was placed on injured reserve as well. This strong unit on paper in the offseason has turned into a rookie having to carry way too much on his shoulders (especially with Buckner also missing time due to injury).

This isn't to excuse Latu's lack of splash plays either. The Colts selected him as an NFL-ready player at the 15th overall spot and he simply hasn't been that productive of a player to start the season. That being said, it's difficult for an edge rusher to be hyper productive when an interior pass rush duo of Odeyingbo and Buckner has turned into Taven Bryan and Grover Stewart.

Latu is winning a lot of his pass rush reps, but it's difficult for an edge rusher to finish plays when quarterbacks have exit lanes in front of them. Latu can certainly be better, but the massive injury toll that has been dealt out to the Colts' defensive line has limited his overall production and his potential for splash plays.

Tyquan Lewis’ elbow injury is not season-ending from what I’m told, but the attrition on the Colts’ defensive line is reaching a tipping point.

They are currently dealing with injuries to Ebukam, Buckner, Paye and Lewis. Unreal. https://t.co/xVIvlvj0ZL

— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) October 1, 2024

Overall, Latu could certainly be a bit more productive for the Colts this season, but the advanced stats view his start to the season favorably. He hasn't been fantastic for the team, but he wasn't supposed to be relied on to be that from day one. Injuries to the defensive line have thrust him into more playing time, and the lack of talent around him has limited his ability to finish plays.

Latu is very much a positive regression candidate for the Colts going forward this season. As the team gets back players from injury and Latu starts to grow a bit more into his game, he will begin to turn these pass rush wins into more sacks and pressures. At the very least, maybe getting back Buckner later in the season can lead to more sacks on the interior for the defense as a whole.

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