The Colts defense got a whole lot better on Thursday night.
Despite some hope that they'd trade up at the very last second, the Colts ended up staying put. And with the 15th overall pick in this year's draft, the Colts took UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu.
Latu was widely considered one of, if not the, best edge rushers in this year's draft class. Last year with the Bruins, Latu played in 12 games, had 15 sacks, 11 QB hits, and over 35 hurries; he had a 96.3 rating on Pro Football Focus. He was the first defensive player taken in this year's draft.
#15 Colts
— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) April 26, 2024
Laiatu Latu is the best on-film edge rusher in the Draft. Seattle scheme and let him line up wide - could do some real damage. They are building a real deep d-line in Indy
Latu now heads to Indy to join what looks like, on paper, one of the truly elite defense fronts in football. He'll line up alongside DeForest Buckner (12th best DL in '23, per PFF), Samson Ebukam (14th), Kwity Paye (36th), and Grover Stewart (22nd).
Get your Laiatu Latu Indianapolis Colts jersey now.
Minus a trade, that'll do it for the Colts on Night 1. Their next pick is scheduled to be on Friday, when they'll pick in the second round, 46th overall. After that, they have five other picks: a 3rd (82), a 4th (117), a 5th (151), a 6th (191), and a 7th (234).