This is when it hit Colts rookie Laiatu Latu that he made it to the NFL
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Laiatu Latu stayed late at the Colts practice facility to get some extra work in. As he was walking from the practice fields back inside, he looked up at the Indianapolis Colts sign on the building. He sat down, taking it all in. His eyes started to tear up.
It didn’t hit him that he made it to the NFL on draft night. It didn’t hit him that he made it to the NFL when he first got to Indianapolis either. It hit him on that day, just walking towards the indoor practice facility after seeing the Colts logo on the building.
Latu has gone through a lot in his football journey already. During preseason workouts for the 2020 season when he was at Washington, he suffered a neck injury. It kept him out of both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He was advised to medically retire by the staff at Washington.
But, he sought out another doctor’s opinion, and he cleared him to return to playing football. Latu transferred to UCLA, where he would become the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and an AP First Team All-American.
He now joins a defensive line group with the Colts that has already proved their worth, racking up the fifth most sacks in the NFL last season. With an All-Pro in DeForest Buckner as well as other multiyear veterans on the defensive line, Latu has a lot of people to learn from.
“Taking it in from dudes like DeForest Buckner, Grove (Grover Stewart), Coach Charlie (Partridge), Sosa (Samson Ebukam), Kwity (Paye), I mean everyone in that d-line room is someone I can look up to and build off of,” Latu said. “So, that’s been a real blessing for me since I’ve been here.”
So far in his time with the Colts, Latu has been working on counters off of his finesse moves and reading blocks. He’s also been working on techniques he’s learned and applying them to the field.
While he’s been in Indianapolis for about a month, he hasn’t gone out and familiarized himself with the city much. He went to a Pacers game and a Fever game, but that’s about it.
“It’s just been football for me, and I love it,” Latu said.