Should Colts 2024 1st-round pick Laiatu Latu be the favorite for the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year?
The Indianapolis Colts selected UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu with the 15th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he was the first defensive player to come off the board.While there are multiple talented defensive players in this year's class, I think Latu should be the clear favorite to win the NFL Defensive Player of […]
The Indianapolis Colts selected UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu with the 15th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he was the first defensive player to come off the board.
While there are multiple talented defensive players in this year's class, I think Latu should be the clear favorite to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
When looking at recent defensive rookies of the years, four of the last five have been pass rushers. And nine of the past 14, spanning back to 2010, have been defensive linemen.
- 2023: Will Anderson, Edge
- 2022: Sauce Gardner, CB
- 2021: Micah Parsons, Edge
- 2020: Chase Young, Edge
- 2019: Nick Bosa, Edge
- 2018: Shaquille Leonard, LB
- 2017: Marshon Lattimore, CB
- 2016: Joey Bosa, Edge
- 2015: Marcus Peters, CB
- 2014: Aaron Donald, DT
- 2013: Sheldon Richardson, DT
- 2012: Luke Kuechly, LB
- 2011: Von Miller, Edge
- 2010: Ndamukong Suh, DT
In the 2024 NFL Draft, four defensive linemen heard their names called in the first round, and three of those four were edge rushers. Laiatu Latu to the Colts, Dallas Turner to the Minnesota Vikings, Jared Verse to the Los Angeles Rams, and Byron Murphy II (DT) to the Seattle Seahawks.
All four players are very talented and are contenders for the award, but I think the clear favorite should be Latu. Latu is the most proven pass rusher of this group and has elite college production over the past two seasons to prove it.
Last two college season stats for each DROY contender:
- Latu: 85 total tackles, 34.0 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks
- Turner: 53 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks
- Verse: 89 total tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, 18.0 sacks
- Murphy: 55 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks
Now pair this with the level of talent Latu will have next to him on the Colts defensive line, and I think you have your clear-cut favorite for this year's Defensive Rookie of the Year. Defenses won't be able to throw too much attention toward Latu, with players like DeForest Buckner, Samson Ebukam, Kwity Paye, Grover Stewart, and Dayo Odeyingbo showing last year that they are a force to be reckoned with.
The group even set a new record for the most sacks for the Colts franchise during their tenure in Indianapolis, with 51 sacks. In my opinion, this is the clear best-supporting cast that any of these four players will play with next season.
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Colts 1st round pick Laiatu Latu’s jersey number might have just gotten leaked
Now that we know who the Indianapolis Colts drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, one big question remains on all fans' minds. What jersey numbers will the rookie class select? We just might have found out the jersey number for their first-round pick, Laiatu Latu. The Sack Summit is an event for "Linking & learning with the […]
