FB: How does Utah's Leki Fotu fit with the Arizona Cardinals?
With arguably the highest ceiling of any former Ute taken in the 2020 NFL Draft, Leki Fotu was chosen by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round with the 114th overall pick.
Regardless that it took that long for Fotu to come off the board, he's expected to play a massive role in the rebuild of Arizona's defensive, and defensive line more specifically.
Under second year defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, the Cardinals need to take a massive step forward after having one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season. Arizona gave up 402 yards per game, which was worst in the league, and 27.6 points per game, fifth-worst in the league.
After taking do-it-all defender Isaiah Simmons in the first round, the Cardinals added to that by getting another potential starter in Fotu, who is perfect in Joseph's scheme.
"Fotu's a nose tackle, defensive lineman, who reminded me a lot of Vita Vea, the first round pick out of Washington. He's a big, space eater, with tremendous quickness and athleticism for a big man, really think he has tremendous upside and a guy that can do a number of things for us," said Arizona Cardinals GM, Steve Keim.
Fotu won't be required to earn a lot of tackles or stats, but he will be asked to rush the quarterback when he finds himself in one-on-one situations. But if he is double-teamed, he must be able to occupy both offensive lineman and free up his teammates, something he showed progress at throughout his career.
He's still considered a work in progress, but has the potential to be great. If Joseph is willing work with Fotu on his technique and refine his overall skillset, he could be a massive difference maker in the Arizona defensive line and be the player the Cardinals have been searching for since Calais Campbell left.