The Jets recently claimed defensive tackle Junior Tafuna off waivers from the Houston Texans. Today, we break Tafuna down in detail.
The 25-year old Tafuna is listed at 6’3” and 305 pounds and was a three-time all-Pac 12 second-teamer who went undrafted out of Utah. He spent last season on the Houston Texans’ practice squad.
Background
Tafuna was a three-star high school recruit who headed to Utah but went on a mormon mission initially so he didn’t play for them until 2021.
In his first season, Tafuna
was the Pac 12’s defensive freshman of the year and an all-conference second-teamer after racking up 33 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Over the next three seasons, he failed to deliver the same kind of impact production as he only had three more sacks. However, he still played well enough to earn second-team recognition twice more and then, after the move into the Big 12 in 2024, he was an honorable mention.
He ended his career with 108 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, eight passes defensed and two interceptions.
Tafuna was widely expected to be a late round draft pick in the 2025 draft after being invited to the scouting combine and performing well at the senior bowl where he had two sacks in the game itself. However, he wasn’t selected and ended up signing for the Houston Texans.
After final cuts, he ended up on their practice squad and didn’t see the field in his rookie season. The Jets picked him up earlier this month when he was waived by the Texans.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Tafuna brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Tafuna is undersized for an interior defender at the NFL level, although he has adequate length.
His measurables are solid but unspectacular. He ran a 5.04 in the 40-yard dash with 24 bench press reps and average agility and explosiveness numbers.
He actually ran a 4.6 in high school but was just 220 pounds at the time.
Usage
Having played as a running back, linebacker and defensive end in high school, Tafuna was originally recruited with the intention of playing on the edge. However, when he returned from his mission, he had added weight and the team opted to convert him into a defensive tackle role instead.
Within that role, he lined up all over the line, but primarily in the B-gap.
Motor
Tafuna is considered someone with a high motor, who hustles and gives a good effort.
He played between 400 and 500 snaps in each of his four seasons, including as many as 69 in one game, so he can handle a starter’s workload.
Pass rush
Tafuna’s pressure rates were low throughout his career and his sacks dried up after a promising first season. He only had one full sack and two-half sacks in his last two seasons, with zero quarterback hits other than that.
He did register five pressures against Utah State last season, though. He can be effective on stunts and collapsing the pocket.
Run defense
Tafuna moves well down the line and has good quickness. He also improved his run defense consistency over the course of his college career.
However, he might need to add some strength because he can struggle to hold his ground in the trenches.
Even so, he has a strong upper body and can flash with moments of explosiveness or dominance.
Technique
Tafuna attacks blockers and has strong hands and although at times he can be late with them, or hold them too low, his technique is generally pretty solid.
He doesn’t bring much to the table in terms of pass rush moves but his pure strength makes him a bull rush threat when he can get under his blocker’s pads.
Special teams
Tafuna’s only roles on special teams at Utah were rushing kicks and punts, but he didn’t have any blocked kicks in college. He had one defensive penalty.
Tackling
Tafuna’s tackle efficiency was excellent last season as he didn’t have a single missed tackle. He had 11 during his first three seasons.
He had one forced fumble during his college career but it came on an impressive play where he hit Bucky Irving hard in the hole and stripped the ball away from him cleanly.
Coverage
Tafuna only dropped into coverage once in his college career, but he had some good production against the pass with two interceptions and eight passes defensed.
He has a knack of getting his hands up to deflect passes, at least two of which were intercepted by a teammate.
Instincts/Intelligence
Tafuna is a player who is capable of making reads and identifying keys. He also reacts well.
He was on the Pac 12 academic honor roll in both 2021 and 2023.
Attitude/Demeanor
Tafuna is a tireless worker with a high character, who became a team leader as a sophomore and was a captain in his final season at Utah. He is an emotional motivator and a good mentor, who did plenty of work in the community in addition to his mission in Cabo Verde.
He reportedly set a good example by putting a lot of work into his preparation and on-field focus.
On-field discipline wasn’t a major issue as he had eight defensive penalties in his career with the only two penalties he had in 2024 both being for delay of game. This included one that came on 3rd-and-1 to extend a drive. He also had a roughing the passer penalty in NFL preseason action.
Injuries
Tafuna only missed two games in 2024, both due to an undisclosed non-football injury. Otherwise, he was durable with 45 starts and three more appearances off the bench in his career. However, he was banged up with bumps and nagging injuries in his middle two seasons.
Scheme Fit
Tafuna’s role within the Jets’ current defense would mostly likely be as a defensive end in odd-man fronts.
He was a teammate of current Jet Kingsley Jonathan while in Houston, albeit for just two weeks.
Conclusions
Tafuna is a player who was arguably unlucky not to be drafted, with the fact he was an older prospect perhaps having been a factor in that.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t able to make his mark with the Texans, so he’s back to square one as he tries to earn a role with the Jets.
New York are far from loaded at the interior defensive line positions and guys like David Onyemata and Harrison Phillips might not be here after this season, so there could be a good opportunity here to become part of the pipeline. Tafuna will face competition from some of the Jets’ other young 300-plus pounders though.
