2024 Colts training camp preview: What can Laiatu Latu add to defensive line?

The Colts made a major addition to a record-setting defensive line this spring. And once the pads come on in training camp this summer, we'll get an early glimpse into what 2024 first-round pick Laiatu Latu can bring to a Colts front that set an Indianapolis-era record with 51 sacks in 2023.

Defensive linemen totaled 46 of the Colts' 51 sacks last year, and the team returns linemen who accounted for 44 of those 46 sacks. The Colts re-signed defensive end Tyquan Lewis and defensive tackles Taven Bryan and Grover Stewart in free agency, while defensive ends Samson Ebukam, Kwity Paye, Dayo Odeyingbo and Isaiah Land, as well as defensive tackles DeForest Buckner, Adetomiwa Adebawore and Eric Johnson II, all return.

Latu will have to compete to earn playing time with those returning defensive ends, and the padded practices – including joint practices with the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals – will be important opportunities for the UCLA product to test himself against pro competition.

But when it comes to expectations for Latu in 2024, the recent history of rookie pass rushers may be instructive. Over the last 10 seasons, only five rookies have recorded double-digit sacks:

Sacks are important, of course, but they're just one measure of a pass rusher's impact on a game. Over the same 10-year stretch, there have been 10 defensive ends to have 50 or more pressures as rookies, per Pro Football Focus:

These are high bars for any rookie to clear, and Latu very well could have a productive, encouraging season without hitting double-digit sacks or 50+ pressures. But the Colts also believe Latu's polished repertoire of pass rushing moves and relentless motor give him a shot to make an immediate impact.

"When you look at the history of rushers, sometimes it's tough – there's a transition, right?" defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "You come up and say, 'Oh, this guy was great in college,' and then he has four sacks or five sacks and there is a transition time. So, I think you look at players and say, 'All right, what can speed that process up?' It's always a race to maturity, especially with rusher. How fast can they get there to where, oh it finally kicked in – their fourth year, fifth year you're starting to see them get a good feel for things.

"I think Laiatu, he is very polished. He's got an arsenal of moves. He's not a one-trick pony. You can see speed to power. You see speed. You feel like his maturity, it has a quicker chance of getting there than 'Okay, this guy is going to develop.' It's like, no he's intriguing. He's pretty polished that way. Like I said, the arsenal of moves and the play level. He plays with high effort. So sometimes those things that take some time to translate, it feels like he's got a head start on it. I think that's what was intriguing about him."

The good news is the Colts' pass rush, after its strong showing in 2023, may not need to rely on a rookie's performance to get after opposing quarterbacks. The other good news is Latu – through all the work he put in over the last few years – has given himself a shot at not only being productive early in his career, but also being able to adjust to NFL tackles and protection schemes as the season goes on.

"Like with any of these guys, that's the one thing that I think gets lost sight in all of this is everybody has got an opinion on players and they project them. You don't know – they have to play," general manager Chris Ballard said after drafting Latu. "They have to go play and prove it. Latu has got to go play, but we feel good about who is and how he works and his talent and how he'll produce."