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Jets land Far Rockaway native in sixth round via NY Post

The NY Jets drafted Empire Challenge alumni in the sixth round of the 2018 draft.

ORGINIAL ARTICLE:

The Jets stayed local for one of their Saturday picks.

Gang Green picked defensive lineman Folorunso “Foley” Fatukasi in the sixth round, the 180th-overall pick. Fatukasi grew up in Far Rockaway and played at Beach Channel High School. He went to Connecticut for college where he had 168 tackles in 48 games for the Huskies.

“It feels great,” Fatukasi said. “I give thanks, I don’t want to sound cliché, but I have to thank God for every moment that I have had up until now. It’s surreal. Words can’t explain how I feel right now.”

The 6-foot-4, 318-pounder will get a chance to compete on a Jets defensive line that is in flux. Once a strength of the Jets, they have lost Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson in the past year. Only Leonard Williams remains from when the Jets had one of the best defensive lines in football.

“It was always my goal to play in the NFL,” Fatukasi said. “I believe it’s everyone’s goal to do so and it was always something I had in the back of my head. It was always something I worked towards, it was always something I prayed for and to have this moment right here, I can’t even believe it that it’s right here.”

LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE