Player
Laiatu Latu
EDGE · Colts
Laiatu Latu: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
The 2024 #15 pick more than doubled his rookie sack total in year two.
TrendLatu by season (regular season, 2024–2025)
| Year | Team | G | Sacks | QB Hits | TFL | Tackles | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | IND | 14 | 4.0 | 12 | 5 | 31 | 3 |
| 2025 | IND | 16 | 8.5 | 20 | 12 | 43 | 1 |
Pass-rush production year-over-year
| Stat | Count |
|---|---|
| Sacks 2024 | 4.0 |
| Sacks 2025 | 8.5 |
| QBH 2024 | 12 |
| QBH 2025 | 20 |
| TFL 2024 | 5 |
| TFL 2025 | 12 |
Rookie year was a slow burn — 4.0 sacks across 14 games and a defense that was waiting for the wiring to click. Year two is a different player: 8.5 sacks, 20 QB hits, 12 tackles for loss in 16 games, all more than double the rookie pace.
QB hit rate climbed from 0.86 per game to 1.25 per game — the underlying pressure was already there as a rookie; the sacks just hadn’t converted yet.
Among the 2024 EDGE/DL first-rounders, only Jared Verse matches his two-year sack total.
Comparison2024 draft EDGE/DL class — first two seasons (regular season)
| Player | G | Sacks | QB Hits | TFL | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laiatu Latu | 30 | 12.5 | 32 | 17 | 74 |
| Jared Verse | 34 | 12.0 | 45 | 22 | 115 |
| Braden Fiske | 31 | 11.5 | 20 | 14 | 70 |
| Dallas Turner | 27 | 11.0 | 20 | 14 | 85 |
| Chop Robinson | 27 | 10.0 | 21 | 12 | 43 |
| Kris Jenkins | 26 | 4.5 | 8 | 5 | 66 |
Latu’s 12.5 career sacks narrowly leads the 2024 first-round defensive class through two seasons. Verse plays a heavier snap count (115 tackles vs Latu’s 74) but Latu has converted his pressures into sacks at a higher clip.
The head-to-head per-game numbers are essentially tied: 0.42 sacks/game for Latu, 0.35 for Verse.
His Week 9 game vs Pittsburgh: 2.5 sacks, 3 QB hits, 3 TFL — the only such line in his career.
MilestoneLatu single-game pass-rush highs (regular season)
| Year | Wk | Game | Sacks | QB Hits | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | IND vs PIT | 2.5 | 3 | 6 |
| 2025 | 7 | IND vs LAC | 1.0 | 4 | 3 |
| 2024 | 11 | IND vs NYJ | 1.0 | 3 | 3 |
| 2024 | 3 | IND vs CHI | 1.0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | IND vs DET | 1.0 | 2 | 4 |
The 2025 Week 9 Pittsburgh game is the only one in his career with 2+ sacks. It came in the middle of his year-two surge: 3 sacks across Weeks 7–9 signaled the breakout.
From Week 7 onward in 2025 he produced 7.0 of his 8.5 sacks — a back-half surge after a quieter first month.
In the Colts DL room he was the lone bright spot in 2025 — by 4.5 sacks.
ComparisonIndianapolis defensive front (regular season)
| Player | Year | G | Sacks | QB Hits | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kwity Paye | 2024 | 14 | 8.0 | 12 | 10 |
| DeForest Buckner | 2024 | 12 | 6.5 | 14 | 8 |
| Laiatu Latu | 2024 | 14 | 4.0 | 12 | 5 |
| Laiatu Latu | 2025 | 16 | 8.5 | 20 | 12 |
| DeForest Buckner | 2025 | 10 | 4.0 | 13 | 9 |
| Kwity Paye | 2025 | 16 | 4.0 | 9 | 6 |
In 2024 he was the third option behind Paye (8.0) and Buckner (6.5). In 2025 the order completely flipped — Latu posted 8.5 sacks, more than Paye and Buckner combined (8.0).
It’s a textbook year-2 leap inside an established veteran room. The Colts now have Latu as their unambiguous top pass-rusher heading into 2026.
His 2025 sack pace closes the gap on year-one Aldon Smith‑tier rookie+sophomore EDGE seasons.
Anomaly12.5 career sacks through 30 games puts him on a 6.8-sack-per-16-game pace overall, with the trajectory accelerating: his year-two pace alone is 8.5 sacks per 16 games.
The 2024 EDGE class was widely viewed as headlined by Verse and Turner (top-10 picks). Latu, taken 15th overall, has out-produced both in raw sacks while playing fewer games.
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