Tag: Olakunle Fatukasi

Rams promote LB Olakunle Fatukasi from practice squad for Sunday’s game

The Rams promoted Olakunle Fatukasi from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Lions

The Los Angeles Rams seem to be preparing to be without Troy Reeder in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions based on their roster move ahead of time. The team announced on Saturday that linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi has been promoted from the practice squad in advance of this wild-card game, giving the Rams some depth at the position, as well as on special teams.

Fatukasi signed to the Rams’ practice squad in October and has been active for just one game this season, recording one tackle. He’s played 12 special teams snaps and none on defense.

He won’t play on defense Sunday unless there are several injuries at linebacker, but Ernest Jones is healthy, as is Christian Rozeboom, so the Rams are in fine shape.

Rams sign LB Olakunle Fatukasi to practice squad

The Rams added to their practice squad by signing linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi

The Los Angeles Rams signed Austin Trammell to the 53-man roster last week, which opened up a spot on the practice squad. They filled that void Wednesday by adding linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi, a second-year player out of Rutgers.

Fatukasi spent most of the 2022 season with the Buccaneers before being waived in December. He then landed with the Broncos and has also had stints with the Patriots and Chiefs this offseason, but he was waived by Kansas City before the season began and had been a free agent ever since.

He was active for 13 games as a rookie in 2022, making six total tackles. He played just one defensive snap with the Bucs that year but contributed on special teams.

Patriots cut two players to make room for latest roster signings

Two releases have been announced by the Patriots, following their recent signings.

With the recent signings of running back C.J. Marable and offensive tackle Micah Vanterpool, the New England Patriots had to make corresponding moves to free up space on their 90-man roster.

On Saturday, the team announced they have released linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi and safety Jourdan Heilig.

Running back and offensive tackle are both serious positions of need for the Patriots right now. Veteran running back Ty Montgomery is still working his way back from an injury, and the Patriots are limiting Rhamondre Stevenson’s workload in anticipation of the regular season.

So the heavy lifting has been left to second-year running backs Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris.

Meanwhile, the offensive tackle position has been shaky with a 34-year-old Riley Reiff likely starting on the right side and the oft-injured Trent Brown serving as the blindside protector on the left.

Heilig had some legitimately good moments on special teams throughout the spring and summer work. For now, however, it would seem as if the Patriots are prioritizing a clear need over his roster spot.

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Former Broncos linebacker signs 2023 reserve/future deal with Patriots

A former Denver Broncos linebacker signed a reserve/future deal with the Patriots on Wednesday.

The New England Patriots are boosting their linebacker position with the addition of former Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi.

ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported the move on Wednesday.

Fatukasi went undrafted out of Rutgers and appeared in 13 games with the Buccaneers before ending up on the Broncos’ practice squad. The Patriots have a long history of developing successful linebackers, and they’ll be looking to get the most out of the former Scarlet Knight.

Granted, Fatukasi will clearly have his work cut out for him to stick on a roster that values versatile playmakers capable of buying into the system quickly. Time will tell if Fatukasi is that player.

He’ll have a chance to prove himself in 2023.

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Bucs waive rookie LB Olakunle Fatukasi

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have waived rookie linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have waived rookie linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi, the team announced Tuesday.

After signing as an undrafted free agent and winning a roster spot with an impressive training camp and preseason, Fatukasi has played on special teams for the Bucs throughout the entire 2022 season. If he clears waivers, it would make sense to see Tampa Bay sign him back to their practice squad.

No corresponding move was made at the time, leaving the Bucs with an open spot on their 53-man active roster.

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Three Rutgers football players go in the latest CBS Sports mock draft

The latest CBS Sports mock draft has three Rutgers football players taken in the NFL draft.

Three players from Rutgers go in the latest mock of the NFL draft from CBSSports, showing an uptick in interest for several Scarlet Knights’ standouts.

And shockingly, despite a strong performance at the NFL Combine and the recent Rutgers Pro Day, running back [autotag]Isaih Pacheco[/autotag] was not one of the trio of Scarlet Knights to go in the mock draft.

The seven-round mock draft from Chris Trapasso has all three Rutgers selections going in the seventh round within a span of 13 selections:

No. 246 (Cleveland Browns):  [autotag]Olakunle Fatukasi[/autotag] (linebacker)

No. 251 (Kansas City Chiefs): [autotag]Joseph Turner [/autotag](defensive tackle)

No. 259 (Kansas City Chiefs): [autotag]Bo Melton[/autotag] (wide receiver)

The selection of Turner and Melton would give the Chiefs three former Rutgers players along with fullback Michael Burton. This offseason, Burton signed a new contract with the Chiefs.

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Other than the omission of Pacheco, the other surprise from the Trapasso mock draft is that Melton fell as far as the seventh round. Mel Kiper’s most recent mock draft, for instance, has Melton going in the third round.

Most mock drafts have Melton, the team’s leading receiver who had a strong Senior Bowl and NFL combine, going in the fourth or fifth round.

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Three Rutgers players named to All-Big Ten lists on defense, special teams

Rutgers football sends three to All-Big Ten Football Team.

Two Rutgers defensive players and one specialist received mentions in the 2021 All-Big Ten Football Team as voted by the league’s head coaches. Not surprisingly, all three are seniors who led the way for Rutgers.

Adam Korsak was named first-team punter, an honor he shared with Penn State’s Jordan Stout in a tied vote. Stout was named the Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year as the conference’s best punter.

Both Korsak and Fields are finalists for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s top punter.

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi and nose tackle Julius Turner were named ‘Honorable Mention’ in Tuesday’s announcement. No other Rutgers players were named to the defensive honors.

 

On Wednesday, the Big Ten will announce the offensive honorees.

Rutgers finished the season 5-7, a strong improvement for the program in what is the second year of a rebuild under head coach Greg Schiano. The Scarlet Knights closed the season with two losses, falling just short of automatic bowl eligibility.

Five things we learned from Rutgers loss to Wisconsin

The Scarlet Knights found themselves on the wrong side of three first-half turnovers. The Badgers scored 21 points off of those giveaways and pulled away 31-3 going into halftime. 

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Rutgers tried to stay in another game by grinding down a Wisconsin rushing attack and staying disciplined against the Badgers No. 1 defense in all of FBS.

Wisconsin was on the outside looking in on the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 Poll. However, they found themselves sitting at No. 21 in the first CFP Selection Committee Rankings in it’s first release.

Instead, the Scarlet Knights found themselves on the wrong side of three first-half turnovers. The Badgers scored 21 points off of those giveaways and pulled away 31-3 going into halftime.

With the loss, Rutgers dropped to 4-5 (1-5 Big Ten) on the year. Wisconsin is now 6-3 (4-2 Big Ten) and clinched a bowl game for the 20th consecutive season – the third longest active streak in FBS.

Moving forward, the health of the Rutgers squad will be something to keep an eye on as three major players left the game with an injury.

What an NFL general manager thinks of Rutgers linebacker’s Olakunle Fatukasi’s NFL draft prospects

Olakunle Fatuksai has raised his NFl draft stock this season at Rutgers.

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Olakunle Fatukasi is earning praise for his strong season at Rutgers. For Fatukasi, his return for a fifth season of college football is paying off.

Fatukasi is building on his 2020 where he emerged as one of the top linebackers in the Big Ten. This season, he has 71 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two passes defended. His play is a major reason why Rutgers is 4-4 (1-4 Big Ten) and is playing meaningful football in November.

Former NFL general manager Randy Mueller thinks Fatukasi is going to be ready to play on Sundays and be taken in the NFL draft next spring.

“Smart competitive kid who plays with toughness and good football instincts. He makes the calls, the adjustments and is the communicator on defense,” Mueller told ‘Rutgers Wire.’

“He lacks ideal size and athletic ability for the NFL level but plays with exceptional effort and heart. Has to jump around or duck under blocks. Will be physically overmatched at times and he will get roughed up by big linemen at times when taking on blocks but his motor runs consistently.”

Mueller is a seasoned talent evaluator, having spent five years with the Seattle Seahawks as their vice president of football operations before transitioning to tenures as general manager of the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins.

He is now a successful NFL consultant working on several projects with professional teams.

As for Fatukasi, he will get a chance to add to his film library this Saturday when Rutgers hosts Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten). The Badgers have a strong offensive line and a good ground game, potentially providing Fatukasi and the rest of the Rutgers linebackers with a big test.

(What recruits are scheduled to visit Rutgers this weekend?)

In terms of his transition, Mueller thinks Fatukasi could benefit from a redshirt year in the NFL before being ready to step in and be proactive on Sundays

“More about fit with this kid. Probably needs to play ‘MIKE] in a 3-4 scheme where interior D-Lineman can keep blockers off him,” Mueller said.

“Late round consideration who might need a practice squad year of development.”

Coming out of high school, Fatukasi was a 3-star recruit and the No. 5 player out of New York in the 2017 recruiting class. He held offers from Boston College, Illinois, Maryland and Syracuse among others.

 

 

 

Rutgers football: National recognition coming in for Olakunle Fatukasi

Rutgers football’s Olakunle Fatukasi gets big weekly honor from the Maxwell Football Club.

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It has certainly been a whirlwind of a few days for Rutgers football. The latest bit of buzz is about Olakunle Fatukasi, who was named the Bednarik Award Player of the Week.

This comes after Rutgers received votes in ‘The Week 1 AFCA USA TODAY Coaches Poll‘ as well as coming in No. 24 in the first regular season poll from FoxSports.com.

The nod for Fatukasi comes after a tremendous performance from the Scarlet Knights linebacker. He had nine tackles including four tackles for a loss and three sacks as Rutgers beat Temple 61-14 on Saturday.

Fatukasi got the scoring started early as he registered a safety on Temple quarterback D’Wan Mathis on Temple’s opening possession.

 

In preseason, Fatukasi was named to the ‘Bednarik Award Watch List.’ The award, given out by the Maxwell Football Club, is in recognition for the nation’s top defensive player. It is considered the top defensive award for a college football player.

Last year, Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins won the award. The last five recipients of the award have all been first round picks in the NFL Draft.

The Maxwell Football Club also awards the Maxwell Award, given to the nation’s top college football player.

 

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