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: Fatukasi recorded eight tackles for loss against the run, which ranked as the fifth-most among IDL despite playing the 64th-most snaps against the run (205). That's an average of one tackle for loss every 25.6 snaps against the run, best among qualifiers. Fatukasi's official statistical records have him incorrectly listed with only seven tackles for loss. For some reason, a tackle for a one-yard loss that he recorded against Ezekiel Elliott in Week 6 was not counted as a TFL. Finishing Fatukasi was not credited with a single missed tackle in 2019, making him one of only four qualified IDL with that distinction. One negative stat to improve Pressure rate Fatukasi collected only six pressures over 169 pass-rush snaps, a rate of 3.6% that ranked at the 11th percentile among qualified IDL. He is not getting paid to be Aaron Donald, but Fatukasi needs to provide a bit more juice in this phase to keep from being a liability when teams pull out a surprise pass play in a situation where a run is expected. Three plays that showcase Fatukasi's ceiling This play against Miami encapsulates Fatukasi's overwhelming power and knack for making a positive impact without getting credit in the box score. He times the snap tremendously and blasts the center into the backfield, knocking down the running back as soon as he takes the handoff. Henry Anderson touches him and gets credit for the tackle, but this is all Fatukasi. Fatukasi is rewarded with statistical credit for his effort on this play, one of his eight tackles for loss. He anticipates the outside zone motion and perfectly targets the left guard's chest to maximize power and pummel him into the backfield. Fatukasi then grabs Saquon Barkley by his sleeve and holds on tight to throw him down for a four-yard loss. This rep against Miami in Week 14 was a stunning display of pass-rush upside from Fatukasi. He uses his left hand to grab the guard by his jersey on the inside shoulder, and yanks downward to send him into the ground. Fatukasi did not have many other pass-rush reps as impressive this one, but who knows? Perhaps it could be a fleeting glimpse of untapped potential still waiting to be unlocked. Two plays that showcase Fatukasi's floor Fatukasi rarely makes his presence felt in the passing game. Here, he bites on the play fake and has no Plan B once it's clear that Baltimore is running a pass play. He gets knocked to the turf and leaves a wide-open throwing lane for Lamar Jackson. On this 3rd & 14 play, Fatukasi takes a pair of wallopings from New England's right side and finds himself on his knees as Tom Brady runs a screen. The pass is dropped, but regardless, you never want to be on the ground as a defender. If the pass were caught, Fatukasi would have been responsible for allowing extra yardage because of his inability to chase down the play (due to being knocked to the floor). Defensive usage Gregg Williams used Fatukasi primarily in situations where a run was likely - 1st & 10, 2nd & 4-or-fewer, 3rd & 1, and goal-line were the instances in which you would expect to see him out there. Of Fatukasi's 390 defensive snaps, 205 came against the run, a 52.6% portion that ranked eighth among qualified IDL and was the highest among any of the 31 players to appear on defense for the Jets in 2019. No other Jets defender appeared on more run plays than pass plays. Overall, Fatukasi averaged 27.9 defensive snaps per game, participating in 41% of the team's defensive snaps on average. Health/off-field Fatukasi never appeared on the Jets' injury report in 2019. Although he only played in 14 games, neither of the two missed contests were due to injury. He was a healthy inactive in Week 1 (vs. Buffalo) and Week 5 (at Philadelphia). In 2018, Fatukasi was a healthy inactive in all but one game, playing three snaps against the Patriots in Week 12. Battle for depth chart positioning All five defensive linemen that finished the 2019 season with the Jets are set to return - Fatukasi, Henry Anderson, Steve McLendon, Nathan Shepherd, and Quinnen Williams. Barring injury, it seems likely that the same five players will rotate similarly to how they did last year. Here is how the snaps were dispersed over the six games that the unit played together (counting out a seventh that Williams left early due to injury): Williams: 39.2 defensive snaps per game (60% of snaps on average) Anderson: 33.8 (51%) McLendon: 26.2 (40%) Fatukasi: 23.5 (36%) Shepherd: 22.7 (35%) Expect Fatukasi to take on a similar role in 2019 - somewhere around 40% of the defensive snaps with a focus on rushing downs. Contract/future In 2020 - the third year of his rookie contract - Fatukasi will have a cap hit of $793.6K, which is currently set to rank 139th among interior defensive linemen. In 2021, his cap hit will rise to $963.6K. That mark would currently rank 105th at the position heading into 2020. Fatukasi could be one of the best values on the Jets roster over the next two years if he can maintain the level of impact that he provided against the run in 2019. In the process, that would set him up to earn one of the heftiest contracts among nose tackles on the 2022 free agent market. Progression to around a league-average level in the passing game will be necessary for Fatukasi to elevate his value beyond "great rotational run-stuffer," but even if that leap does not come, he is still a plenty valuable asset for the Jets in his niche role at such a modest price-tag. Stopping the run was the team's greatest strength in 2019, and Fatukasi was one of the primary driving forces behind the defense's success in that particular facet. If the Jets enjoy another elite season of run defense in 2020, Fatukasi will certainly be a major part of it. New York Jets training camp primers: Bless Austin Connor McGovern Greg Van Roten Quinnen Williams Quincy Wilson