2024 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
Welcome to the Exclusive Sneak Peek: Laiatu Latu is an edge rusher out of UCLA. He is from Sacramento, CA, and was a 4-star recruit out of Jesuit High School in Sacramento, CA.
He started his career with the Washington Huskie where he appeared in 8 games as a freshman. In that 2019 season, he recorded 10 solo tackles, 5 assists, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and 1 pass defended.
He sustained a neck injury during the 2020 season which forced him to miss the season and ultimately led to a brief retirement from football altogether. After being medically cleared, he transferred to UCLA for his junior season in 2022.
In his first year with UCLA, he appeared in 13 games where he recorded 23 solo tackles, 13 assists, 12.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 1 pass defended, 1 fumble recovery, and 3 forced fumbles. A truly elite season that demonstrated his potential as an elite edge rusher.
His final collegiate season in 2023 saw him appear in 12 games where he piled up 28 solo tackles, 21 assists, 12.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 2 passes defended, and 2 forced fumbles.
Measurables
NCAA Statistics
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2019 | Washington | Pac-12 | FR | LB | 8 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | Washington | Pac-12 | SO | LB | |||||||||||||||
| *2022 | UCLA | Pac-12 | JR | 13 | 23 | 13 | 36 | 12.5 | 10.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| *2023 | UCLA | Pac-12 | SR | DL | 12 | 28 | 21 | 49 | 21.5 | 13.0 | 2 | 46 | 23.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Career | Overall | 61 | 39 | 100 | 35.5 | 24.0 | 2 | 46 | 23.0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||||
| Washington | 10 | 5 | 15 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| UCLA | 51 | 34 | 85 | 34.0 | 23.5 | 2 | 46 | 23.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |||||
Scouting Reports
Strengths
- Excellent size and possesses elite speed for a defender his size.
- Is versatile enough and big enough to play out of both 2 and 3-point stances.
- He has great lateral agility with a quick twitch that makes him elusive.
- Has an excellent set of skill techniques that allow him to consistently beat blocks against the pass.
Weaknesses
- He lacks awareness when defending the run and looks lost at times.
- Struggles to shed blocks against the run and needs to refine his technique.
- Has below-average arm length which could be a severe limitation to his ceiling.
- His medical history is a huge red flag that could see him plummet in that draft if the concerns are not adequately squashed.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital: Mid 1st Round
Ideal Landing Spot: New Orleans Saints
The Saints are a cap-strapped and aging roster that is getting worse by the day, so it makes natural sense that they dip into the rookie market to find a young star edge rusher to revamp their defense.
Verse is a great combination of size and speed and is pro-ready. He would step right into the lineup with ease should the Saints choose to contend in 2024 and would be a long-term piece to move forward with a rebuild.
He would easily become the centerpiece of a new-look Saints defense if they chose to select him and could be the first step to them getting out of their ever-present cap woes.
Post-Draft Analysis
Pick 1.15 to the Indianapolis Colts
Latu
