New Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell saw defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi’s potential when he drafted him in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft while he was with the New York Jets.
Now, after years of development, Caldwell feels like he’s getting a player who is tapping into the potential he saw in 2018. The Jaguars signed Fatukasi last month in free agency for that reason, and hope he can bolster their defense in the trenches.
Caldwell recently sat down with analysts Jeff Lageman and senior reporter J.P. Shadrick for Jaguars Happy Hour to talk about the team’s defense in 2022 and some of the team’s free-agent additions like Fatukasi.
“Yeah, I was on the coaching staff that drafted him, and the thing about it was he was raw when he came out,” Caldwell said. “Now you can see the talent start to bubble and come out. He’s explosive, he has really strong hands, and he’s a force in the middle.
“That’s someone that you’re looking forward to help stop the run, plug up the middle and be a physical presence in the middle for offenses to have to handle.”
Fatukasi accumulated 88 total tackles, five for a loss, two sacks, and 11 quarterback hits over the last two seasons.
Caldwell was pleasantly surprised when he saw his film this offseason.
“When I actually saw it was when I turned on the film this offseason,” he said. “Then looking at a free agent, I was like, ‘That’s the same kid? Yeah, he’s different now.'”
Fatukasi has come a long way since being drafted in the late rounds of the 2018 draft. With 23 starts in his last two seasons, it’s easy to see exactly why he has improved as he’s seen 1,065 snaps in the process.
Fatukasi will join a Jags defense that struggled against the run and ranked 23rd this offseason. For that reason, many feel he’s set to start and see the highest snap count of his career. If he can make strides as a pass-rusher that would be the cherry on top of his signing as the Jags’ 16th ranked passing defense is looking to jump into the top half of the league, too.
