Indianapolis Colts’ defensive end Laiatu Latu saw his production take a step forward in Year 2. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo believes there is still more out there for him heading into the 2026 season, and he attached a prediction to that.
After recording 38 pressures as a rookie in 2024, Latu tallied 61 pressures this past season. Among defensive ends, that was the 15th-most during the regular season. He would rank 25th among his position group in pass rush win rate as well, according to PFF.
Latu fell just shy of the 10 sack mark, totaling 8.5 on the season, but Anarumo believes that’s a threshold he will hit this season as he continues to progress and develop his game.
“He’s not built like a typical defensive end,” Anarumo said of Latu. “He’s low, great lower body, strong, but when you see him up top, his upper body wasn’t as developed, and he’s done a great job of getting stronger over his career so far.
“He’s a jack of all trades, man. He is going to be unbelievable as he continues his process as a football player. He’s on his way to 10 plus sacks last year. I think he’ll get there this year without a doubt. He’s always dialed in as a worker, as a teammate. Everything about him says team.”
Latu taking another step forward this season will be vital to the Colts’ overall pass rush success. Who will be starting opposite of Latu is still not set in stone, and it remains to be seen how much the defensive end rotation has improved, despite quite a bit of roster turnover this offseason.
A more consistent pass rush is needed by the Colts’ defense as a whole in 2026. Even with Latu being one of the more productive defensive ends in football, the Colts still ranked 30th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Lou Anarumo details next step for Colts’ DE Laiatu Latu
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
