Jaelan Phillips 2.0 to Dolphins? UCLA's Laiatu Latu on comeback path remarkably similar

The story is new, but the storyline should sound familiar: Imposing pass rusher hears doctor advise him to give up football. Player retires. But player improves, gets medical clearance, returns. After a career that includes time at UCLA, he’s eligible for NFL Draft. He’s projected to be a first-round pick.

Jaelan Phillips? Dolphins fans know he fits the description.

Now, improbably, along comes a second player whose career path matches it, right down to his No. 15 jersey for the Bruins.

Laiatu Latu, who has been compared to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt, is that second player. He missed two seasons because of a neck injury, was eventually cleared by the doctor who treated Peyton Manning, and is about to embark on his NFL career.

The only significant difference separating Latu’s journey from Phillips’ is he resurrected his career at UCLA. Phillips left the Bruins to resume his collegiate career at Miami.

Will their careers intersect again? Possibly. Dolphins general manager Chris Grier drafts not on need but based on the best player available. If Latu is still on the board when Miami selects at No. 21, he could become a Dolphin. Plus, if Grier did draft on need, there’s the matter of Phillips and fellow edge rusher Bradley Chubb coming off season-ending injuries. They're both working so diligently in rehab to be ready for the season that the Dolphins forced both players to take a week off. Where that leaves them for September and October remains uncertain.

Laiatu Latu ‘definitely' inspired by Jaelan Phillips' comeback

Latu recalled watching Phillips against Cincinnati during his official visit to UCLA, “and seeing him destroying O-lines before he left for Miami.” Although the two hadn’t been in touch, Latu said he draws inspiration from Phillips.

“I know he kind of went through something similar where he almost medically retired — or pretty much medically retired — and I heard about that,” Latu said. “And it’s definitely encouraging to hear that and it definitely helps me get through a lot, too.”

Latu has been through enough that he can tell stories about preparing for life without football. He was going to be a firefighter. He even did firefighter workouts, donning a 50-pound vest for StairMaster workouts. He was drawn to the teamwork required, aware that letting teammates down wouldn’t result in the loss of a game, but possibly the loss of life.

Today, even though his professional football career hasn’t even begun, Latu has a plan for what will follow it.

“After all this, I’d love to get into firefighting and work my way up to Chief,” he said.

Latu ‘never gave up on my dreams'

Latu is 6-feet-5 and 259 pounds. Put 4 pounds on him and he’d match Phillips physically. Latu had 23.5 sacks his final two seasons at UCLA, earning both the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end and the Lombardi Award as the top lineman.

Latu arrived at UCLA after Washington’s doctors told him to walk away from the sport. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein said concerns about the neck injury “could certainly come into play” as NFL teams examine Latu. Otherwise, Zierlein sees Pro Bowl potential, comparing him to Watt.

“Being told you’d never get to play football again, I never let it get the best of me,” Latu said. “I continued to work out, continued to grow stronger, continued to work my pass-rush moves … and never gave up on my dreams.”

He didn’t have to. He consulted with neck surgeon Robert Watkins, who fused Manning’s neck. Watkins cleared Latu to resume playing football. To know how much that means to him, consider what’s atop all of his notes during football meetings.

“There’s a saying, ‘Like your last,’ and I take that into the classroom,” he said. “I take that into the meeting room. I’m writing it at the top of my notes, really just reminding me to do everything like it’s my last. Not even just playing football, but when I’m studying and stuff like that, really just knowing this could be my last opportunity to do it and really remind myself give it all you got.”

Rolling up the sleeves is second nature to Latu. He attended Jesuit High in Sacramento County, Calif., under the school’s Angel Program. He worked in the school cafeteria and cleaned floors.

“Pretty much every day I was working in the cafeteria,” he said. “They get you free food as well, but it helped pay for tuition and stuff like that. It was cool because I got to do it with a lot of the boys I grew up with and I got close with a lot of the chefs out there too, so just meeting a lot of people and a very very cool moment.”

What was better, the free tuition or the free food?

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“The free food, you can’t beat,” he said.

Soon, a big payday awaits Latu. He'll be able to afford whatever kind of lavish meal he wants, all by playing a game he never stopped loving.

And he'll be treating every play like it's his last.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Jaelan Phillips ‘definitely' inspires comeback of UCLA's Latu