Scouting Profile: Laiatu Latu, DE, UCLA
Arguably the most skilled pass rusher in the 2024 NFL Draft... and just insanely fun to watch on tape.
Height: 6’5”1
Weight: 259lbs
Class: Senior
NFL Comparison: A higher-octane Jaelan Phillips
When I'm watching pass rushing prospects entering the NFL Draft, I want guys with traits that'll startle me into sitting upright into my chair.
An F1-like burst off the edge. A Gumby-like bend around the edge. Hand fighting maneuvers straight out of a Jackie Chan movie. Length and fluidity of an NBA wing player. Throws the object of their attention (quarterbacks) to the ground more frequently than a toddler with a bowl full of cereal. When an edge prospect has any one of those, it'll immediately make you take notice.
When an edge prospect has a combination of those, your eyebrows raise up all the way to your hairline. When an edge prospect has almost all of those? You (previously) had our curiosity; but now you have our attention2.
All of which brings us to Laiatu Latu, the optimally-built (6'5" and 265lbs), monstrously-productive, and preternaturally polished edge rusher from UCLA.
Latu won the Lombardi award (best lineman in college football) and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023, and was a unanimous All-American selection. Trust me; none of that was window dressing. Over his last two seasons at UCLA, Latu accounted for 34 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and a ridiculous 106 pressures.
No edge prospect in this Draft was a bigger terror to opposing quarterbacks, given Latu had the highest overall pass-rush win % among any of them. He's got a fantastic burst off the snap, and has shown flashes of an absolutely silly bed around the edge. His get-off allows him to quickly get underneath the defenders arms/hands of blockers, allowing him to use his strength/speed combo to put them in precarious positions. He's also got long arms, which allows him to make shoe-string tackles on opposing QB's trying to escape.
But what really makes Latu so fascinating as a prospect is the rare toolkit of pass rushing moves and maneuvers he already brings, seemingly having already developed counter moves and counters-to-counters. His rip and swim moves are so quick and explosive that they make offensive line look like turnstiles.
Yes, there are some speed-to-power questions, in that he needs to refine his pass rush plan for situations when can't just blow by the guy in front of him. He's also not overly stout at the point of attack on run plays; his game is more about quickly reading, disengaging, and attacking. However, he makes up for that with his relentless style of play. He resets when initial rush is stifled, and resumes full-hearted attempt to pursue whoever has the ball. There are plays where he's 10 yards in the backfield attacking the quarterback at one point, and then ends up chasing the ball carrier 15 yards past the line of scrimmage.
All of that being said, the major blemish on Latu's Draft profile is his medical background. He missed all of the 2020 and 2021 seasons because of a neck injury that forced him to (temporarily) medically retire, and wasn't cleared to play football again until April of 2022. There will be teams that outright remove him from their board because of their concerns around this. Teams will also question how much upside is left, and how much higher is his ceiling, considering he'll be 24 years old before his rookie season is over (as a result of the time he missed in college).
Despite all of that, he's still seen as perhaps the most athletic pass rusher in the draft class, with additional room to fill on his frame. It's hard to not think of Jaelan Phillips of the Miami Dolphins when you watch Latu's tape.
He might be my personal favorite edge rusher in this Draft, and while my final 2024 NFL Draft Big Board is still in its early phase of development, it’s going to be really hard to push him out of my top 5 (if not top 3) defensive prospects in this Draft. ■
Latu’s official height at the 2024 NFL Combine was 6046, which translates to 6 feet and 4.75 inches.
Django Unchained is 100% one of those movies that, if I happened to stumble upon it being syndicated on television, I know I’m going to be parked in front of the TV until it ends. It’s just a phenomenal film.