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Folorunso Fatukasi (better known as Foley) is UConn’s best hope at the NFL Draft this year. After another standout season leading the Huskies’ front seven, the defensive tackle has a good chance of hearing his name called. The New York native recently participated at the NFL Scouting Combine in hopes of improving his standing among his prospective employers.
Fatukasi Combine Results
| Drill | 40-yard dash | Bench press | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Three cone drill | 20-yard shuttle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drill | 40-yard dash | Bench press | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Three cone drill | 20-yard shuttle |
| Result | 5.29 seconds | 33 reps | 30" | 112" | 7.44 seconds | 4.53 seconds |
| Rank (DTs) | 29/33 | 5/29 | 17/30 | 12/29 | 11/26 | 11/26 |
Outside of the bench press and 40-yard dash, Fatukasi hasn’t stood out at the combine with his measurables. The bench press result is as promising as it can be, and the 40-yard dash isn’t a huge issue, as he was always expected to be more of a run-stuffing defensive tackle in the NFL rather than one specializing in the pass rush. Of course, it’s hard to glean a lot of meaningful data out of combine results, but it’s not altogether worthless, and many professional scouts care about certain figures depending on the player.
Most writers and experts project Fatukasi as a middle-round pick at the moment, saying he’s most likely to be chosen between the late third round and the end of the fifth. His stock took a big rise at the East-West Shrine Game, where he stood out as a playmaker despite being hit met with double-teams—something he’s probably used to, as opposing coaches often gave him that treatment when planning for the UConn defense.
What attention he’s gotten as a result of the combine has to do with his size. Fatukasi was already an imposing figure, but scouts and reporters noted his large hand measurements and big wingspan, which help his potential to stay on the field on third downs, so he may have more value than NFL decision-makers might have originally thought.
Ultimately, while Fatukasi didn’t really stand out at the combine, his roundly middle-of-the-pack results assures us that he isn’t falling down any team’s draft boards either. That’s as good as you can hope for with so much quality game tape available, as his on-field play is going to be what ultimately gets him drafted. With a strong career at UConn and a good result at an off-season showcase in the books, Fatukasi should hear his name called in the 2018 NFL Draft.