Can Foley Fatukasi establish himself as an elite run-stuffer? | New York Jets training camp primer

Folorunso Fatukasi‘s sheer power could allow him to become one of the league’s most outstanding run defenders on a yearly basis.

Here’s everything you need to know about Foley Fatukasi as he looks to prove he can anchor the Jets run defense for years to come.

Three positive stats to maintain

Impact against the run

Fatukasi did not post groundbreaking on-ball production (his run-stop rate of 7.1% ranked at the 46th percentile among IDL), but it was what he did off the stat-sheet that made his play against the run so strong. His ability to fire off the ball and penetrate his man into the running lane created plenty of tackles for short gains that were finished off by other players.

Pro Football Focus’ grading system captured Fatukasi’s subtle dominance. Fatukasi earned a run defense grade of 87.5 from PFF, which ranked fifth-best out of 109 qualified interior defensive linemen.

Knack for making big plays

Although Fatukasi only collected run-stops at an average level, when he did get involved, he was typically making a huge play. In fact, no defensive tackle was more adept at making noise against the run than Fatukasi, as evidenced by this wildly impressive stat: