Colts DC Lou Anarumo: Laiatu Latu 'One of the Better Players On Our Team'

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has a reputation among his players and colleagues for accountability. Whether you're a multi-time Pro Bowler or a sixth-round rookie, Anarumo will not bend on his expectations, and he'll let each player know that. At the same time, he will do what he can to build people up.

That transparency has endeared Anarumo to his players and earned their utmost respect.

While he holds strong relationships with his players, Anarumo doesn't gush about just anybody. But he gushes about Laiatu Latu every time he's brought up.

“He's one of the better football players we have on our team," Anarumo said this week about the Colts' second year edge rusher. "And I think that just shows with all of his production that he has – not just playing well in the run game. Disrupting the quarterback at a high level, but the guy's got three interceptions. And he tipped the ball to himself against a Hall of Fame quarterback. Like that's just not – hey, it looked easy, but that was really hard, what he did.

"And I just think the guy's a tremendous football player, a better human being. He's a great teammate. Charlie (Partridge) and Matt Raich do a great job with him. And just pleased with the direction that Latu is heading.”

The tipped ball that Anarumo referred to was a play that Latu made last week in the Colts' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

With quarterback Patrick Mahomes backed up deep near his own goal line, he threw a short slant to a receiver he thought was open, but Latu batted the pass and lunged for the ball out of the air, pulling in his third interception of the season.

Not only is that the third most by a defensive lineman in a season in NFL history, but it's the most by any Colts defensive lineman in a season, ever.

Through 10 games this season, the Colts' 2024 first-round pick also has 31 tackles (six for loss), 5.5 sacks, 14 QB hits, and four pass breakups. He's first on the team in sacks and interceptions.

According to Pro Football Focus, Latu has 17 "stops," which are failed plays the defense forced against the offense. PFF ranks Latu first on the Colts in pass rush grade (76.5), pressures (44), and pass rush win rate (18.0%).

League-wide, PFF has Latu ranked as the No. 7 edge rusher in the NFL with an overall grade of 88.5. His coverage grade of 88.9 is fifth, run-defense grade of 78.9 is tied for seventh, and pass rush grade is 22nd. His 44 pressures are the 13th most among edge rushers.

Other advanced metrics also support Latu. Austin Mock of The Athletic has a metric, "Splash Plays," that combines sacks, pressures, defended passes, forced fumbles and recoveries, tackles on any play that goes for no gain or a loss, and tackles on third- and fourth-down plays that prevent a first down or touchdown. Latu ranks 16th among all defensive players in the NFL with 63.

While Latu is certainly succeeding in 2025, edge rushers will always be chasing double-digit sack seasons.

Latu has been heating up lately, with 4.5 sacks in his last five games to bring his season total to 5.5, but he has six more games to get the Colts' first double-digit sack season since Justin Houston had 11.0 in 2019.

The Colts host the Houston Texans on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL. 

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