With hindsight being 20/20, who would the Indianapolis Colts end up with in a redraft of the 2024 NFL draft class?
Ali Bhanpuri and Tom Blair of NFL.com set out to redraft the entire first round, knowing what we know now after seeing how the 2024 season unfolded.
For the Colts at 15th overall, they would still end up selecting defensive end Laiatu Latu in this scenario.
“Colts don’t have any options here who would obviously improve their fortunes. Laiatu Latu did not live up to preseason Defensive Rookie of the Year hype, but he did still provide Indy with desperately needed pass-rush help.”
Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse went eighth overall to Atlanta, while cornerback Quinyon Mitchell wasn’t on the board either after being taken at 11th by Cincinnati.
In this redraft, the Colts could have went with defensive end Chop Robinson, but Blair and Bhanpuri stuck with Latu instead, noting continuity and the Colts sticking with the player they know.
Given the Colts issues in the secondary, Nate Wiggins and Cooper DeJean could have been options in a redraft as well.
Latu would tally 38 pressures last season, the second-most on the Colts, along with four sacks, which was the third-most, according to PFF.
Although the production was, at times, up and down, the pass rush consistency was often there. Latue would rank 29th among all defensive ends in pass rush win rate. In terms of long-term viability, that’s a very good sign.
We also saw Latu’s run defense improve as the season progressed as well.
Compared to the rest of the 2024 rookie class, Latu was third in pressures, trailing Verse and Robinson. He was second in run-stops and second in run defense grade.