New York Jets: Reaction to Parry Nickerson and Foley Fatukasi
Here are reactions to the New York Jets selections in the sixth round, Parry Nickerson and Foley Fatukasi.
The New York Jets, after making multiple trades, ended up with back to back picks early in the sixth round of the draft. They turned those picks into Parry Nickerson, the cornerback from Tulane and Foley Fatukasi, DT from the University of Connecticut. Mike Maccagnan is back to his old tricks of beefing up the defense.
It’s hard not to love the Nickerson pick. The Jets needed to add to the depth chart at cornerback. Behind Trumaine Johnson and Morris Claiborne they didn’t have very much. The rest of the group has been very beatable. Buster Skrine will play back in the slot with Johnson in the fold, but the rest of them leave a lot to be desired.
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2013 | Tulane | CUSA | FR | CB | 1 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2014 | Tulane | American | FR | CB | 11 | 40 | 11 | 51 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 6 | 24 | 4.0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | Tulane | American | SO | CB | 11 | 41 | 5 | 46 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 48 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Tulane | American | JR | CB | 11 | 20 | 9 | 29 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4 | 171 | 42.8 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2017 | Tulane | American | SR | CB | 12 | 48 | 7 | 55 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 6 | 8 | 1.3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career | Tulane | 154 | 34 | 188 | 8.0 | 0.0 | 16 | 203 | 12.7 | 1 | 31 | 4 | 48 | 1 | 3 |
At 6-0, he is a bit small for the profile of an NFL cornerback. However the numbers don’t lie. This guy is always around the football. He actually measured at 5-10 at the Combine. He can fly, running a 4.32 forty yard dash. Nickerson can cover in the press, which will serve him well in the Jets defensive scheme.
Foley Fatukasi is a guy that graded as a fourth round choice, so getting him in the sixth round is a quality value selection. This is another choice along the road of rebuilding the defensive line. It was once a force for the Jets, now it scares nobody. At 6-4, 318 pounds, he is another lineman that will take up space and give playmakers room to roam on the edge.
These defensive line picks have been good for a player like Leonard Williams, whose numbers will grow thanks to these selections.
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| 2014 | Connecticut | American | FR | DL | 11 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| *2015 | Connecticut | American | SO | DL | 11 | 33 | 18 | 51 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |||
| 2016 | Connecticut | American | JR | DL | 11 | 22 | 21 | 43 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2017 | Connecticut | American | SR | DL | 11 | 30 | 15 | 45 | 7.5 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Career | Connecticut | 103 | 67 | 170 | 21.0 | 14.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
He is also from Connecticut, and being local doesn’t hurt.
Now, Fatukasi has some technique work to do. He needs to understand the blocking schemes better and faster. But he has skill. There is no reason to believe that this young man can’t make the defensive line rotation. The more the merrier.