After disappointing rookie season, Colts DE Laiatu Latu wants a sack a game in 2025

Indianapolis Star

4 hours ago

INDIANAPOLIS — Laiatu Latu wanted to make more of an impact as a rookie.
Latu, the defensive end the Colts drafted with the No. 15 pick, was the first defensive player off the board in the 2024 draft, a player expected to transform the Indianapolis defense.
When he struggled, when he beat the tackle across from him and failed to get the quarterback, it ate at Latu for days.
'It's definitely who I am, especially in the moment, on the field, you can definitely get frustrated,' Latu said. '(DeForest Buckner) always reminds me: 'Next play.''
Latu finished his rookie year with four sacks and 36 pressures, according to Sports Info Solutions, numbers that ranked him third on the Colts in both categories.
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He wants much more in his second NFL season.
Latu, who racked up 23.5 sacks in 25 games at UCLA, has set a lofty goal.
He wants a sack a game, a pace that would give him 17 overall and almost certainly earn him a Pro Bowl berth. Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen set the bar a little lower, saying this spring the team wants Latu to get to double-digit sacks.
The expectations are still there.
But everything else around Latu has changed. Indianapolis replaced former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley with Lou Anarumo, who has a lengthy history of moving his best pass rushers all over the formation, a practice that should take advantage of Latu's versatility.
'You see the God-given athletic ability as soon as you watch him,' Anarumo said. 'Anybody can see that. Now, it's just going to be the recognition of how he's about to get blocked, both in the run game and the pass game.'
Anarumo's creativity will help.
The rest is up to Latu, who has spent the offseason trying to improve his power. Latu's slender frame is an asset, making it easier for him to bend the corner and dip around blocks, but he has an arsenal that is varied enough that he must be stronger to be more effective at the NFL level.
'Building my strength in my upper body,' Latu said. 'That's what I focused on.'
Latu's other focus is finishing rushes.
There were a handful of plays last season that featured Latu beating an offensive tackle, only to miss the quarterback at the point of attack or get there a split-second late, after the ball was already on its way to a receiver.
The little things will help.
Young pass rushers often struggle to live up to their reputations at first in the NFL. Offensive linemen are much better, and the shift in strategy from college to the pros is a little bit like going from checkers to chess.
Latu's always been a natural rusher, the sort of player with the right instincts for the job. He needs to recalibrate his instincts to the NFL level.
'My IQ on the field,' Latu said when asked what he wants to improve on next season. 'Being able to read certain keys within the offense to get off the ball better.'
Latu, like a lot of second-year players, feels like it's easier to focus on the learning this season. There are no rookie symposiums. No snacks to bring for the rest of the defensive line group. None of the extra stuff that comes with being a first-year player in the NFL.
'I feel like I know what's coming,' Latu said. 'I don't have any stressors.'
The Colts are counting heavily on Latu to take the next step this season.
Anarumo had Trey Hendrickson, one of the best edge rushers in the NFL, in Cincinnati, and Latu seems to be the player best suited to that role. The rest of the Colts defensive ends—Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam, Tyquan Lewis and second-rounder J.T. Tuimoloau—are a different mold of rusher, players who can stonewall blockers in the run game and typically win with power against the pass.
Latu's rookie numbers were underwhelming.
The Colts have reason to believe they will rise in his second season.
'He was close many times,' Anarumo said. 'This year, we feel like he'll seal the deal.'