Cameron Latu remaining confident approaching the Senior Bowl

MOBILE, Ala. — The Alabama tight end has enjoyed competing with the best of the best in practice this week, and now he’s ready for the Senior Bowl Saturday.

Cameron Latu had a very consistent career with the Crimson Tide. It’s tough to argue against that after he hauled in 56 passes for 787 yards and a jaw-dropping, 12 touchdowns over the past two seasons. He’s a big safety net for any quarterback throwing him the ball, and loves coming up with the clutch catches.

Latu is one of seven tight ends competing in the annual event, and he’s looking to impress the scouts with his unique skill set.

“I have positive energy, I’m pretty much the same everyday, whatever you see, you get,” Latu said. “I’m a hard-working, consistent player, that’s going to put in the work everyday.”

Although Latu looks like a natural at tight end, it didn’t become his primary position until college. The former four-star prospect was an edge rusher in high school. However, through practice and coaching, he quickly became one of the best tight ends in the almighty SEC.

“It definitely was hard a first, just to know that I had never played tight end as a primary position,” he said. “To really get technical with the blocking, footwork, the plays, running routes and catching the ball, I never did it at that time.”

Which is why Latu is expecting a smooth transition to the NFL, because he’s all about adjusting on the fly. Latu has ideal size for an NFL tight end too. He weighed in at 248 pounds earlier this week, and that’s a solid size for his six-foot-four frame. Not to mention Latu has the second-longest wingspan of all the tight ends at the Senior Bowl.

The Utah native is active in the weight and film room, plus he’s always trying to better his craft. That’s one of the main reasons Latu has been consistent.

“Just preparation throughout the week and knowing who I’m going against,” the 22-year old said. “Knowing what I’m doing and just perfecting that through practice, so when the game comes it’s just natural.”

As good as Latu was at making plays for Alabama, there are still some areas of his game that he wants to improve. He want to iron out the wrinkles with his blocking at the point of attack. And that’s a head-scratcher, considering Latu played against some of the most physical defenders in the country. He believes you have to be a dog to play in the SEC because of the speed and physicality.

Latu also admires San Francisco tight end George Kittle because he does all of the dirty work and gets the job done. He’s confident enough and feels like he can play every down right now. And that’s a reflection on the coaching he received from Nick Saban, who’s arguably the greatest college coach of all time.

“Coach Saban was a genius, everything he said was gold to me, he has seen and done it all for years, so he’s not sugarcoating nothing.”