So I just got done doing the En Eff El draft show.
From a remote location I decided to go with my signature ghostly serial killer look.
Unfortunately, Dwight Freeney and Vibbs didn’t get the memo that we were doing a whiteout this year.
But that’s ok.
I won’t hold it against them.
Going into the 15th pick, I was fully expecting a cornerback.
In hindsight, I don’t know why that was.
The Colts draft was a mystery to everyone.
But throughout the course of the night I had convinced myself that was the direction we were going.
I was very nervous they would draft the white cornerback Cooper Dejean.
It would have looked too strange on the field.
I just would have assumed he was about to be cooked every time he lined up in man.
But that’s not the direction the Colts went whatsoever.
The Colts went with an edge rusher.
Laiatu Latu out of UCLA.
I can’t say I knew a thing about him heading into the draft.
But either way, that’s who we drafted.
Here’s some tape that I’m watching for the very first time.
Looks pretty damn good to me.
Can’t be upset with that tape.
Welcome to Colts Nation, Laiatu #neigh.
Then everyone just breezed past that comment like it was no big deal.
But I couldn’t get past it.
That sounds like another way to say “dead”.
Again, not what you want to hear.
I can’t say I was thrilled at that moment.
However, now that I’ve looked into his story, it appears the doctors were just… wrong.
Or to be more accurate, the school had retired him.
He had suffered numbness in his neck that wasn’t alleviated by surgery.
The medical personnel suggested Latu risked being paralyzed if he continued playing football.
The coach arranged for Latu to come to UCLA, but under certain restrictions.
He met with the training staff and was prescribed exercises to strengthen his neck.
If he was able to play football again, Latu was encouraged to tackle without using his head.
In the Bruins' spring practice, he was limited to individual drills.
So I guess that’s it.
Five doctor’s told the guy he could never play football again.
If he did he would surely paralyze himself.
It’s still a little concerning.
But the guy sounds like a warrior.
He defied the odds and became the 15th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
According to all current reports, he’s perfectly healthy.
No longer are there concerns about his neck.
I’d have to imagine his injury history still causedsometeams to pass on him.
Which now I’m thinking could be a good thing.
If the neck injury made him drop in the draft, then he may have top 5 talent.
If he never had the neck injury, you gotta think he would have been picked higher.
His potential is probably off the charts.
He was certainly a beast at UCLA.
In the 2022 season he had 36 tackles and 10.5 sacks (played 13 games).
Last year he racked up 49 tackles, 13 sacks, and 2 interceptions (played 12 games).
So everything comes off as fine.
He’s stay on the field for 2 straight season.
Fuck a medical retirement.
Fuck the 5 doctors who told him he would never play again.
Laiatu Latu sounds like a monster.
The Colts need an edge rusher.
I’m here for the pick.
So you defied the odds and you’re about to have a hell of a career in the NFL.
