Colts' Laiatu Latu 'Primed for a Breakout Sophomore Campaign'

Great defenses have great pass rushers. It's almost an undeniable conclusion to draw when observing part of what makes dominant units the way they are.

The Indianapolis Colts are just two years removed from setting an Indianapolis era record with 51 sacks, which was among the top five in the league for the 2023 season. However, last year, with some injuries taking their toll, the Colts slipped to just 36 sacks, which ranked near the bottom of the NFL.

Ahead of the 2024 campaign, the Colts used their first-round pick on UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu, making him the first defensive player off the board. He had time to acclimate as a rookie, but now it's time for him to take a big step forward.

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports marked Latu as the Colts player who could make a surprise impact in 2025.

"When it comes to the Colts, the entire summer will be engulfed with the quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones", Sullivan wrote. "While that certainly warrants the bulk of the attention, Latu entering his second season is another storyline worthy of your attention.

"Latu was the first defensive player taken in the 2024 NFL Draft and put together a solid rookie season with four sacks and three forced fumbles," Sullivan continued. "That said, there is plenty of room to grow for the former UCLA Bruin, and he could be primed for a breakout sophomore campaign."

Latu appeared in all 17 games (one start) as a rookie, totaling 32 tackles (five for loss), 4.0 sacks, 12 QB hits, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. He led the Colts in pass-rush win rate (14.0%), per Pro Football Focus, had the second-best pass-rush grade (72.1) behind only DeForest Buckner (77.1), and had the second-most pressures (38).

Among all NFL rookie defensive linemen, Latu graded as the third-best with a mark of 71.5, behind only Jared Verse (89.3) and T'Vondre Sweat (76.1).

"I thought you could see it as the year went on," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said earlier this offseason of Latu's progress. "Were the sacks coming at the end? No, but the pressures were, and I think you'll see him finish more as we go forward here.

"I know Latu was getting a little frustrated, and I remember DeForest (Buckner) got to him and said, 'Look, man, it took me two years to really develop to where I really understood how to rush,'" Ballard continued. "I think it'll come on quicker than that (for Latu), but everybody's developmental timetable is different."

With the Colts hiring new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, many people have made the connection of a promising young pass rusher in Latu to the dominant All-Pro that Anarumo had with the Cincinnati Bengals in Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson had 17.5 sacks last year, which led the NFL, and his 35.0 over the last two seasons is the most in the league as well.

Those are lofty expectations for Latu, but realistic expectations for him are that he starts to reach the double-digit sack mark in year two.

While Latu will likely take some sort of step forward and aid the Colts in getting better against the pass, that should be considered the expectation, not a surprise.