Laiatu Latu knows better than anyone what it feels like to have an injury rip football away from someone. He almost had the game completely taken away from him in college.
Latu immediately knew the pain Samson Ebukam was feeling on Sunday. Ebukam tore his Achilles in the third training camp session for the Indianapolis Colts. His season is over before it really even started.
While Ebukam’s teammates were heartbroken to see their brother go down, it hit a little closer to home for Latu.
“That’s my big bro, so when I seen him went down I was hella sad,” Latu revealed. “But that’s my big bro. Like pre-draft, after-draft, pre-practice, and all that stuff, he literally has been helping me. Been a big brother to me, working on my get-off, working on different moves, learning from him, watching film with him.
“So I’m just trying to carry what he already was providing for the team and I’m trying to boost that up so it doesn’t feel like we’re missing anybody. But he’s in my prayers.”
Ebukam has become a mentor to Latu in the short time they have been teammates. Both trained in California all summer with coach Eddy McGilvra and several other Colts’ defensive linemen. Ebukam helped Latu with his game and the ins and outs of what it takes to be a pro in the NFL.
To be successful in the NFL, you cannot simply go through the motions during the week and expect to be at your best on Sundays. Being a pro means treating practice like a game, taking every rep seriously and at full speed. Latu has been doing that since Day 1.
“I’ve been treating every day like it’s a game rep,” Latu admitted. “Obviously being safe around people, but I’ve been treating every day like it’s a game rep. It’s just another day with pads on. I’m out there doing my thing. I think I’ve been proving myself every day that I can be out there with Buck (DeForest Buckner), Z (Zaire Franklin) and all those guys.”
Through the first four practices of training camp, Latu has not only been holding his own with Buckner and Franklin, but he has been one of the standouts of camp. His explosiveness off the snap has been impressive, allowing him to quickly get on top of the offensive tackles during his pass rush. Latu has been a handful to stop, even getting the better of starting left tackle Bernhard Raimann at times.
Tuesday’s practice was the first time the offensive and defensive lines had one-on-one reps in camp. Latu shined when his number was called, beating Jake Witt and Blake Freeland around the edge. it was something Latu had been looking forward to for a long time, and he did not disappoint.
“I’ve just been thinking about those one-on-one periods really like, throughout the draft and really just getting ready to be on this team and thinking about the one-on-ones,” Latu said. “The first day out here, I feel like I did pretty good – as a d-line we did really good.”
While Latu has been regularly making plays on the practice field, including a few would-be sacks of Anthony Richardson, the rookie still has room to grow. As a student of the game, Latu is obsessed with the fundamentals and is always working to perfect his craft. But Latu is settling well and picking up the Colts’ defense very quickly.
“It’s just mostly like fixing up certain fundamental techniques that Coach P (Charlie Partridge) has been coaching,” Latu explained when asked about his critiques in camp. “Just trying to get really more consistent with certain striking and other fundamentals like that. The plays have been sticking with me. I’ve been getting dapped up and told good job by vets and stuff like that, so that definitely carries me on.”
What also carries Latu on is his impeccable motor. No matter if it is the first rep of the day or the last, Latu gives it his all and does not stop until the whistle is blown. His relentless effort has been noticed by the coaching staff and is something Shane Steichen took note of before Latu was even drafted.
“You watch all these rushers in the draft and they’re all talented, but (Latu’s) motor that he had after plays, you could see it,” Steichen said. “You know what I mean? Even if he gets around the edge and the quarterback steps up, boom, he is turning and running and trying to go get him. That’s what really stood out to me about him was his relentless effort.”
The maturity, explosiveness, and effort from Latu are everything the Colts could have asked from the No.15 pick. Top it off with his fast start in training camp, and Latu is well on his way to carving out a sizable role on the Colts’ defense. As long as he continues to stack good days, it will be hard to keep Latu off the field.
While his mentor will not be on the field this season, the injury to Ebukam may have cleared a path for Latu to enter the starting lineup. And the rookie is going to fight like hell to secure that spot.
“I’m just going to keep carrying on like I’ve been,” Latu said. “I’ve been fighting for that starting spot, fighting to prove that I can be up there playing with the big dogs. So, I’m just going to continue doing that. Nothing changes for me.”
The goal for Latu has always been to become a starter on the Colts’ defense this season and impose his will on opposing quarterbacks. We might be seeing that goal become a reality in real-time.
