Scouting Report: Laiatu Latu (EDGE) - UCLA
Sales Pitch: “Incredibly polished and advanced pass rusher. Injury red flags and average athleticism may cause him to drop but he projects as a high floor EDGE prospect with NFL ready hand work and intelligence.”
Athletic Profile
Height: 6’ 4 3/8”
Weight: 259 lbs
Arm Length: 32 5/8”
Hand Size: 9 5/8”
40 Yard Dash: 4.64
10 Yard Split: 1.62
Vertical: 32”
Broad Jump: 9’ 8”
Short Shuttle: 4.34
3-Cone: 7.09
Age: 23
Relative Athletic Score: 9.37 / 10.00
Statistics
Career: 135 Pressures - 29 Sacks - 57 Tackles - 65 STOPs
2023: 62 Pressures - 15 Sacks - 26 Tackles - 33 STOPs
Strengths
Fluid bendy athlete w/ good size for the position
High IQ defender that takes good angles in run defense and maintains proper pass rush lanes
Posted double digits sacks back to back seasons
Capable of maintaining top speed while executing pass rush moves
Deep bag of pass rush moves and counters he can access
Good ability to attack and shorten the corner as a pass rusher
Balance and motor led to a ton of statistical production as a pass rusher
Excellent hand placement and quickness in the run game to defeat blocks
Flexible core and good pad level allows him to set a solid edge in the run game
Tremendous effort and pursuit angles as a backside defender
Lateral movement skills to be used creatively on stunts and as a coverage player
Terror for IOL when reduced inside on true passing downs
Weaknesses
Average athlete that lacks top end burst and explosion
Major injury red flag with medical retirement in 2020
Inconsistent at getting his feet set prior to the snap
Struggles to corral mobile QBs and skill position players in space due to limited tackle radius
Limited power rush profile due to average strength and arm length
Longer lineman are able to control and steer him out of the play on run downs
Lacks the lower body strength to take on double teams or play in a 2-Gap system
Stunt and twist timing needs some work
Summary
Laiatu Latu is a former 3-Star recruit from the state of California. Originally a Washington signee and commit, Latu medically retired from football for the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to a neck injury. After transferring to UCLA and being cleared to play, he exploded as one of the best pure pass rushers in college football, logging double digits sacks in back to back seasons. Latu is an extremely polished pass rusher with a deep bag of tricks. His quick, active hands have access to a variety of moves such as as the arm-over, two-hand swipe and club rip. Just when offensive lineman start to figure him out he has a bevy of counters such as the spin move, euro step and speed to power he can bust out. Latu isn’t an exceptional athlete in terms of speed and quickness but his blend of balance and flexibility allows him to quickly turn the corner after he clears lineman hands from his frame. He does an excellent job of playing at top speed with a strong motor at all times which directly led to high end statistical production. For all his pass rushing gifts Latu lacks much of a power rush profile. He has adequate strength for the position and below average length, meaning he can struggle with bigger tackles who can get hands on him first. The same issues with strength and length plague him as a run blocker where he struggles to take on double teams or down blocks at the point of attack. Latu is a solid run defender in spite of this. His hand usage and excellent ability to key and diagnose ball carrier leverage allows him to quickly shed blocks and make splash plays. Latu fits best as a run defender in single gap systems that ask him to shoot gaps or hold the edge versus kick outs. Latu best projects as a 3-4 OLB or 4-3 DE that lines up outside the tackle on a majority of his snaps, occasionally bumping inside on true passing downs. Latu should be as an easy first round player based on film alone. The big question for him will be how teams feel about his medicals. If those clear, given his pass rush polish, motor and football IQ, he has a legit shot to bet the top EDGE taken in this class.