\u201cWhen it comes to the Colts, the entire summer will be engulfed with the quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson<\/a> and Daniel Jones<\/a>,\u201d Sullivan wrote. \u201cWhile that certainly warrants the bulk of the attention, Latu entering his second season is another storyline worthy of your attention. Latu was the first defensive player taken in the 2024 NFL Draft and put together a solid rookie season with four sacks and three forced fumbles. That said, there is plenty of room to grow for the former UCLA Bruin, and he could be primed for a breakout sophomore campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n It remains to be seen whether Latu takes a major jump in 2025. But he has what it takes to accomplish that.<\/p>\n Laiatu Latu\u2019s college career began with the Washington Huskies in 2019. Entering his sophomore year, he suffered a neck injury during fall practice. The injury would cause him to miss the entire COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. Latu underwent neck surgery in March 2021 and was forced to retire from football medically.<\/p>\n It appeared that Latu\u2019s career was over, but fortunately, he was later cleared to play. He wound up entering the transfer portal and transferred<\/a> to UCLA. He returned to the field in 2022 after missing two seasons of college football. In 2023,\u00a0Latu produced 49 tackles (21.5 for loss), 13 sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.<\/p>\n The Colts drafted<\/a> Latu 15th overall in 2024. As a rookie last year, he started one of his 17 games. He recorded 32 combined tackles (five for loss), four sacks, 12 QB hits, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup.<\/p>\n In 2023, the Colts set an Indianapolis-era record with 51 sacks. They ranked in the top five in the NFL. However, that number fell to just 36 sacks (tied for 25th) last season due to injury.<\/p>\n Needless to say, the Colts must improve their pass rush in 2025. They haven’t made many major changes in that department this offseason. They did select J.T. Tuimoloau<\/a> in the second round of the draft. However, he might not be a big-time contributor right away.<\/p>\n There have been rumors<\/a> about the Colts trading for star Trey Hendrickson. That makes sense, seeing that Indianapolis hired Lou Anarumo<\/a> as their new defensive coordinator this offseason. Anarumo coached Hendrickson for several years with the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>. Who knows if Hendrickson will end up in Indianapolis or not?<\/p>\nColts\u2019 Laiatu Latu Could Have a Breakout 2025 Season<\/h2>\n
His Career Thus Far<\/h3>\n
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The Colts Need Laiatu Latu to Step Up<\/h3>\n