If you haven’t already heard Laiatu Latu’s story, strap in. As he disrupts left tackles and quarterbacks, you’ll hear it again and again when he authors new chapters in the NFL.
Six teams took quarterbacks in the first 12 selections, creating a crazy set of circumstances that allowed Latu to somehow slide to Indianapolis at 15 as the draft’s first defensive name off the board.
But the craziest part of his story, as Al Michaels explained during Amazon Prime’s game broadcast Thursday night, at the sunrise of his college career three years ago, doctors told him he’d never play football again following a neck injury sustained during a Washington practice. After consulting with the medical experts who helped another Colts player, Peyton Manning, continue his career in 2012, Latu underwent neck fusion surgery.
That’s when his return to the gridiron took an interesting detour. Two months post-surgery, Latu reignited his passion for another sport, dusted off his high-school rugby skills and joined the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby.
Then, in 2022, cleared by UCLA doctors, he resurrected his college career and paved his road to Indianapolis.
Latu’s NFL coronation comes against C.J. Stroud and Laremy Tunsil Sept. 8 in a fascinating rematch between the Colts and Texans. Houston narrowly claimed the 2023 AFC South division with a 23-19 win at Lucas Oil Stadium combined with Jacksonville’s loss the following day.