PFF labels Colts edge Laiatu Latu as one of NFL Draft’s Day 1 ‘biggest steals’

It comes with medical risk, but the Colts arguably got one of the draft’s biggest steals if Laiatu Latu can stay healthy, given his talent and natural pass rushing ability.

According to PFF, new Indianapolis Colts edge Laitu Latu has been labeled one of the 2024 NFL Draft’s ‘biggest steals,’ as the popular advanced football grade guru is a big proponent of arguably the top pass rusher in this year’s class:

EDGE LAIATU LATU, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Latu captured five of nine top spots in PFF’s key grading facets among eligible EDGE defenders and earned an elite 94.3 pass-rush grade this past season.

The medical concerns clearly didn’t scare everyone off, as Latu ended up as the first defensive player off the board — but not until the Colts came on the clock at No. 15. Latu’s pass-rushing bag is as deep as any edge prospect we’ve seen in the past few years, and he pairs that with a quick first step and great closing speed. He has the potential to be a double-digit sack guy as early as his rookie season.

When looking at some of Latu’s pass rushing metrics, it’s hard to be necessarily mad about the pick at face value—given the premium that pass rushers are held at in today’s pure passing league:

Landing the “most natural pass rusher in this year’s draft class,” from NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah’s own mouth has to be music to the Colts’ ears—especially sitting at #15 overall, midway through the draft, where it’s normally very difficult to find a high-end impact pass rusher at that spot, let alone the top defensive player on a team’s board.

However, where it gets murky is regarding Latu’s medicals, who is two years removed from being medically advised to retire because of spinal issues—but has since had what looks like successful neck fusion surgery, with two seasons of insanely productive football:

“I know the medical’s going to be a question, but like our doctors said, he just played two full years with it and had 22.5 sacks,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said during his post-’Day 1’ draft press conference. “So we think we got the best defensive player in the draft. I thought we got a little lucky on it.”

Whether his surgically repaired spine eventually limits or shortens Latu’s pro career remains to be seen, but the Colts are presumably banking on having an elite pass rusher for the better part of the next decade—which is pretty good return on any first round investment.

Is Latu a steal? Or the Colts lucky to get him? It depends on who you ask, as others may deem him ‘risky’—which is likely why he slid to #15, but time will tell. That being said, it’s hard to ignore his natural pass rushing ability and elite production though—even with the underlying medical risk.