Unpacking Future Packers: No. 80, Alabama TE Cameron Latu

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.

Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis are both set to hit the open market this offseason. With those two veteran tight ends potentially on their way out the door or to retirement, the Green Bay Packers will have to address the tight end position this offseason.

Luckily for the Packers, the 2023 NFL Draft is stocked with talented tight ends, particularly at the top. A player that Brian Gutekunst, Green Bay’s general manager could target on day three of the 2023 NFL Draft is Cameron Latu. The Alabama tight end checks in at No. 80 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown. 

Latu, a four-star defensive end recruit, made the switch to tight end in 2019, after his redshirt season in 2018. After seeing playing time on special teams in 2019 and 2020, Latu finished the 2021 season with 26 receptions for 410 years and he set the program record for receiving touchdowns (8) in a season from a tight end.

“Latu was actually a fairly highly rated recruit as an edge rusher,” Brent Taylor, the editor of Roll Bama Roll said. “He was one of the top SPARQ scorers back in his class. After redshirting his freshman year, he wound up moving to tight end when Alabama had no depth at the position. It took him a couple of years, but by 2021, he found his way onto the field as a regular contributor. Latu made some great plays all year and was a favorite target in the endzone, but he also had some bad drops and bad whiffed blocks.”

Latu missed the first game against Utah State due to injury but started the final 11 games for the Crimson Tide. The Utah native finished the season with 30 receptions for 377 yards and four touchdowns.

“In 2022, he returned as the unquestioned starter and seemed to shore up some of the inconsistencies in his hands,” Taylor said. “Alabama’s passing offense as a whole tanked for other reasons, and Latu’s stats are nothing impressive, but he definitely showed a good bit of improvement and demonstrated he could play with confidence and made some impressive plays.”

Still wet behind the ears, Latu continues to get better each week at his new position. Alabama lined him up in the slot, out wide and in-line. 

Latu does a good job of finding open spaces against zone coverage and makes himself available to the quarterback.  He’s a good athlete and accelerates well off the line of scrimmage.

For being new to the position, he has natural pass-catching abilities. According to PFF, he had seven drops over the past two seasons. Latu does a good job of making contested catches over the middle of the field. 

There are times when he doesn’t show a lot of urgency in his route running. He doesn’t accelerate in and out of his breaks. Teams will have to be patient as his route running catches up with his natural athleticism. 

“As a pass catcher, he’s got the ability to make some pretty acrobatic catches and made some really tough ones on high throws over the middle this year,” Taylor said. “The flip side of that, though, is that it’s just not consistent. He had some really bad drops in 2021. It’s not usually a stone-hands thing, but more that it’ll get knocked out of his hands as he goes to secure it.”

Latu is physical after the catch and as a former edge rusher, he’s a fluid athlete for a man his size. While he wasn’t a big YAC guy for Alabama, it’s part of his game that could balloon at the next level as he gets more comfortable playing on the offensive side of the ball. 

“His after-the-catch ability is underrated and a source of really untapped potential,” Taylor said. “He’s got decent enough speed for a guy his size, but more importantly, he’s tough to tackle. He’s nimble enough he’ll occasionally sidestep someone, and he’s an explosive force if someone goes to meet him head-on. You’ll actually see his old pass rusher form make an appearance sometimes and he’ll dip his shoulder and then explode upward into the player aiming to tackle him.”

Latu gives good effort as a blocker. He has active feet and looks to keep driving through contact. There are questions about his functional strength, but the effort is there on each rep. 

“His blocking, like his catching, is a source of really high highs and bad lows,” Taylor said. “If his aim and positioning is good, he’ll obliterate some poor defensive back in the open field, and he can hold his own around the line of scrimmage. But he’s also prone to being at a slightly bad angle and totally whiffing.”

On top of his abilities as a tight end, Latu has experience playing on special teams. Over the past two seasons, Latu logged 250 special teams snaps for the Crimson Tide.

Fit with the Packers

The Packers need bodies at tight end. It’s a position that they could double, maybe even triple up on during the 2023 NFL Draft. 

The Packers could take a tight end in the Top 100 and look to add a player with Latu’s upside on day three. 

The former outside linebacker has the competitive toughness, versatility, and special teams experience to make for an attractive day three option for the Packers as they look for upgrades at tight end in the upcoming draft. 

“You’re drafting for upside,” Taylor said. “He’s a powerful athlete with a natural athleticism that lets him make tough catches, break tackles, and throw big blocks. But if you draft him, you have to know you’re also teaching a guy that’s only been playing tight end for a couple of years and you’re hoping to polish out his inconsistencies.”

Latu has all the tools in the shed to develop into a complete tight end. With his budding skill set and ability to make an immediate impact on special teams, the Alabama product would be a solid addition to Green Bay’s tight end room at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.

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Story originally appeared on Packers Wire