Getty UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu at the 2024 NFL combine.
The Washington Commanders have one of the toughest decisions to make in the 2024 NFL draft at No. 2 overall, where they will likely choose between two quarterbacks — LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
A trade proposal from PFF’s Trevor Sikkema has the Commanders adding another first-round pick in 2024 by exchanging four draft picks in exchange for the No. 12 overall pick in 2024 from the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos would receive Washington’s 2024 second-round pick (No. 36), 2024 third-round pick (No. 67) along with a second-round pick and fifth-round pick in 2025.
Sikkema has the Commanders selecting Maye at No. 2 and UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu at No. 12 with the pick obtained from the Broncos.
“I don’t know if Denver would do this exact trade (though their roster isn’t very good, and if they’re not going to take a quarterback here they might as well look to stockpile picks), but I wanted to explore a world where Washington used some of its additional Day 2 capital to move up for a trench player,” Sikkema wrote. “The Commanders signed Dorance Armstrong and Clelin Ferrell in free agency, but that doesn’t make up for their need for a top edge rusher. Latu had the highest pass-rush grade and highest pass-rush win percentage of any pass rusher in college football over the last two years.”
UCLA’s Laiatu Latu Ranked High on PFF Big Board
Sikkema has Latu ranked third among edge defenders in the 2024 NFL draft behind Alabama’s Dallas Turner and Florida State’s Jared Verse. Latu is No. 20 on the PFF Big Board, which ranks all of the players entered in the 2024 NFL draft.
“Overall, though somewhat limited athletically, (Latu’s) home is in the offensive backfield due to his hand usage and pass-rush moves that will continue to win at the NFL level,” Sikkema wrote.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Latu has already visited with the Broncos, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.
Latu, 6-foot-5 an 259 pounds, ran a 4.64-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and racked up 23.5 sacks over the last two seasons. In 2023, he was named the Pac-12 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year.
Three mock drafts — PFF, The Athletic and ESPN — all have Latu slotted to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the No. 26 overall pick.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Latu to 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and six-time NFL All-Pro T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Everything about Latu’s skill set and production is translatable to the NFL, and he could become a Pro Bowler as a 3-4 outside linebacker with a heavy influence on the game,” Zierlein wrote.
Commanders Need Help Everywhere on Defense
The Commanders ranked last in the NFL in total defense in 2023 and nowhere was that more evident than with their pass rush, which ranked No. 26 in the NFL with 39 sacks.
Washington traded away its leading pass rusher, Montez Sweat (12.5 sacks), to the Chicago Bears in Oct. 2023 in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick. The Athletic’s Ben Standig listed edge rusher as among the Commanders’ most pressing needs in the 2024 NFL draft.
“Washington put together a viable rotation with three free-agent signings joining 2023 fifth-round pick KJ Henry,” Standig wrote. “But there are no obvious game-changers among them.”