New York Jets 2018 Rookie Profile: Foley Fatukasi

Get used to the name Foley Fatukasi on New York Jets broadcasts. He’s going to be a force in the middle for a long time.

When the New York Jets released Muhammad Wilkerson during the offseason, they knew they’d have to replace him. They did so by drafting Folorunso “Foley” Fatukasi, and much like Sam Darnold in the first round, they were lucky that to the sixth round.

Unlike the defensive tackle the Jets took in the third round, Nathan Shepherd, Fatukasi is ready to start Week 1 opposite Leonard Williams. Fatukasi is stepping into a perfect situation to hone his craft as well. As ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote, we should expect double teams headed the way of Williams.

Fatukasi’s pass rushing needs work, but that’s okay. We should expect the sack numbers from him that we got in flashes from Wilkerson. That said, he’s a run-stopping machine. According to Pro Football Focus Elite, Fatukasi had a run stop rate of eight percent in 2017, which was among the best in his class.

Fatukasi also falls into what seems to be the norm for the Jets on both sides of the ball. His versatility lends him to play on multiple downs. He can play 3-technique defensive end in the Jets scheme, but he’s also strong enough to handle centers one-on-one and play nose tackle.

He can get to the quarterback too, it’s just that he’s a work in progress when it comes to pass rushing technique, as stated by Lance Zierlein in his draft profile on NFL.com.

"Fatukasi’s flashes of power and disruption could be foreshadowing a future as a quality NFL starter with the ability to play on passing downs if he can reach his potential."

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In the end, for 2018, expect him to be limited in pass rush downs, but expect him to start and be in the rotation for run downs. Expect him to be a force to be reckoned with, and he will make teams regret the double teams of Williams early and open things up for the defense.