The Detroit Lions’ defence finished near the bottom of the league in terms of sacks the previous season.
Only one player, Alim McNeill, finished with five sacks, while no other player than Aidan Hutchinson finished with ten. Romeo Okwara and Charles Harris, among other contributions to the EDGE, will be free agents in the next offseason.
For this reason, the Lions would be prudent to investigate the free agent and draft markets extensively in an effort to add more offensive punch off the edge.
UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu is one intriguing and maybe viable option. Having been medically retired by Washington before reviving his career with the Bruins for the past two seasons, he is an intriguing tale.
For UCLA’s defence the previous two seasons, he was a formidable opponent. In 12 games last year, he recorded 13 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss.
Even after being a highly-regarded recruit, Latu’s path to this position wasn’t always assured. He started his collegiate career at Washington, where he played for two seasons in parts before sustaining a neck injury in the spring of 2020.
At that moment, his injury would require him to retire medically. Nevertheless, in 2022, Latu registered with UCLA through the transfer portal after missing a season. He was one of the best defensive players in the Pac-12, and the rest is history.
He was named a consensus All-American and the Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, among many other honours.
Latu’s arsenal of pass-rush techniques is what lends him such success. At the moment of attack, he can tear and swim around blockers thanks to his outstanding hands.
Scouts aren’t as high on Latu in one area: his arm length. This is a criticism akin to the one Aidan Hutchinson encountered after leaving Michigan. During his first two seasons, Hutchinson has proven to be a more than capable pass-rusher.
Where Latu ends up in the Draft will be largely determined by his medical history. Based on his ability, he is a unanimous first-round prospect, but medical evaluations might mean the difference between him finishing near the bottom of the first round or reaching as high as the Top-10.
Latu had a strong showing at the Senior Bowl and will get another opportunity to shine later in the month at the NFL combine. Should he deliver a strong showing in Indianapolis, it might be difficult for him to fall to the Lions’ selection at No. 29 overall.
The Lions will therefore probably need to think about trading up to get the gifted and extremely successful EDGE rusher.
He does match the Lions’ criteria, and should Detroit decide to employ him at SAM linebacker, he has some coverage skills. The Lions will always be a threat to advance because Holmes is notorious for using aggression to achieve his goals.
