Pocket Wrecker: UCLA Edge Laiatu Latu

A lot of guys are just guys on game film, but not UCLA Edge Laiatu Latu. He was one of the few that actually excited me when I studied him.

Some prospects just jump off the screen and that is exactly what you’re looking for when you’re mocking into the first round. Granted, this is just off his 2022 game film and I’ll still circle back around and do the work from his 2023 tape, but still, wow.

As it looks to me right now, he is a sure-fire first-round 10-20 selection.

Latu has just about everything an NFL team would want in a pass rusher.

What did he look like on game film?

Well, as a pass rusher, he certainly looked the part. Not on every snap, but enough of them to get my attention.

Latu has a lean lanky athletic build, speed, burst, and a toolbox full of pass-rushing moves that raised my eyebrows or caused some expletives to come out of my mouth a few times while watching him play.

He comes complete with violent fast hands, and he knows how to use them. Plus, he has extreme power as a bull rusher.

All of these characteristics together are rare.

Latu typically stands up off the edge, but can also put his hand down in the dirt, and he’s a consistent threat for pressure. In 2022, he logged 12.0 sacks, 64 pressures, and a 20% win rate (pff.com).

The numbers say it all and it was confirmed by the game film – – Latu is a heck of a pass rusher.

I have to stress it’s not on every play, as his motor is what is keeping him out of the top 10 in my mind. He’s got an average motor and he has slight tightness when changing direction.

How about against the run?

Not every story is a fairy tale that ends with “Happily ever after.”

Yeah, he makes some wow tackles for losses on the edge, but by in large Latu earns props based on his pass-rushing skills much more than being a run-stuffer.

My notes from these five games against the run are about half positive and half negative as he didn’t seem anywhere near as inspired as he did rushing the passer.

That’s not to say he can’t, because he absolutely can when he feels like it, but overall he looked rather average in this department.

Difference maker

In the first-round, it’s all about finding those elite few that exist in every draft class, and Latu is one of them. Pass rushers are a premium at the next level and this is shaping into being a great pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft for a team looking to move the meter.

Teams will have to scheme against Latu and know where he is lining up.

He’s that good.

#15 Laiatu Latu 6-foot-5, 265 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Summer 2023 Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 32.5% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of September 8, 2023 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Game film reviewed (2022): USC, Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Arizona (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2022 stats: 36 tackles (23 solo), 12 sacks, 1 pass defended and 3 forced fumbles

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Athletic cut quarterback-minded pass rush specialist with long arms and tremendous short area speed and burst with agility and motor limitations. As a pass rusher, showed off fast and violent hands that he uses very well at the point of attack to create and maintain separation. A polished pass rusher who tests both sides of the line of scrimmage while demonstrating swim, spin, dip, and head fake pass rush moves. Also has pure brute power to put offensive linemen on skates. Showed versatility by occasionally lining up inside. Against the run definitely capable of coming off blocks inside and outside to make impact stops. Less interested and highly disciplined to stay in his assigned area. Even on touchdown runs, he will stay true to his assignment as opposed to trying to make the play. Big-time pass rushing prospect.

What to watch for during the 2023 college football season

1. Pass rush numbers?

2. How does he look against the run?

3. Consistent effort?

4. Staying true to run assignments over making plays?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, contributes at Yardbarker, and has written for Sports Illustrated Lions, Jets, and 49ers, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.