Laiatu Latu Ready to Ace Multiple Tests at NFL Scouting Combine

Laiatu Latu smiles widely and daps up a reporter.

The UCLA star edge-rusher has just finished a Thursday morning workout at the elite sports performance center, Exos, in Phoenix, and the conversation has drifted to the NFL Scouting Combine.

“Hell yeah, man, I’m super excited,” said Latu, who will do his drills on February 29th in Indianapolis. “I’m at a great place.”

And why wouldn’t he be amped?

Latu looks like he was built in a lab: 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds with preternatural athleticism that has him destined for the first round of the NFL draft.

Latu had great production on the field the past two years — 23.5 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and two interceptions in 25 games — and is expected to turn heads with his testing numbers and fluidity in Indianapolis.

“I’m excited about the position drills,” Latu said. “Those bag drills, showing how smooth I am, how crisp I am.”

But Latu is well aware that NFL teams want to know more about him than the on-field stuff. In 2020, he suffered a neck injury during preseason practices that caused his initial college, Washington, to deem him medically retired.

Latu never accepted that answer and returned to the field in 2022, starring in his two full college seasons at UCLA, but the evaluation by NFL doctors will be huge.

“That’s going to be the most important thing,” Latu said. “I have to be ready for all those interviews about the medical stuff.”

Nic Hill, a trainer at Exos who has worked closely with Latu for the past six weeks, understands the concern. 

General managers have to think about the potential pros and cons of every prospect they draft, and it’s even more magnified in the first round.

“These teams are investing millions of dollars into an athlete, especially a top-10, top-15 pick like Latu is,” Hill said. “Now it’s just a matter of, what team is going to be good with that part of it with every upside they are getting. That is really the only downside. I mean, character, he’s phenomenal. Everybody loves him. Tape is great. Physical is great. All that other stuff is amazing. That’s the one thing they have to weigh out, but I don’t think it’s going to be much of an issue when they see him in Indy.”

When the doctor at Washington broke the news that Latu couldn’t play again because there was a risk of paralysis, he rejected the premise immediately.

“I told him, ‘I know I can still play,’” Latu said. “‘I’ll sign anything you want. I’ll sign and say you’re not responsible for anything that happens to me.’ They just didn’t go along with it.”

Latu said there were “definitely those days where I got emotional” after the jarring news, but “I never told myself that I wouldn’t be able to make it back. I really had no doubt in my mind.”

He transferred to UCLA in 2022 and was eventually cleared by orthopedic spine surgeon Robert Watkins to do individual drills with the Bruins. The team doctors later cleared Latu to play, and the neck was not an issue during his two seasons with UCLA.

“I’ve been having no complications since after my surgery,” Latu said. “There’s nothing holding me back.”

Latu said there are several examples of current or former NFL players that have dealt with the same or similar neck issues.

“There are multiple people in the NFL now with the same surgery,” Latu said. “Danielle Hunter had it with the same doctor that cleared me. Peyton Manning had the same surgery. DK Metcalf had something similar coming out of college. A lot of those guys’ (results) are encouraging to me, and it shows teams that they can put their faith in me.”

Latu likes to pattern his game off two of the elite pass-rushers in the NFL.

“Maxx Crosby and T.J. Watt,” Latu said. “Those are the main two I watch to replicate. With Crosby, his tenacity getting after the quarterback and having multiple moves that work. And especially in the run game, he gets after it. He plays like every snap is his last.’

“T.J. Watt is just crisp with his moves, and every move is set up. He starts off making sure they respect power and then he works off of that. I try to take after those guys as much as I can.”

If the medical checks out, Latu could go as high as the top-10. 

He thinks he is the top defensive player in the draft.

“Shoot, I believe I’m the best at what I do,” Latu said. “Obviously I have a lot to work on, but we’ll see where God takes me.”