Tufele joins the Jets’ defensive line rotation as a big-bodied backup. He totaled four quarterback pressures and 0.5 NFL sacks last year. The former figure ties his career-high and the latter sets a new one. He’s secured double-digit tackles in each of the last three seasons, bringing his four-year career sum to 27.

Tufele, a one-year starter, posted 65 tackles, 11 TFLs and 6.5 career sacks at USC. He may have gone higher in the draft if not for opting out of the 2020 season. Tufele will push for snaps behind DT Taven Bryan as a rookie.

A former heralded four-star recruit who ranked as the third best DT in the 2017 high school class, Tufele (6'2/305) was a 2017 All-American Bowl selection before embarking on a notable three-year career at USC. He was consistently productive if not consistently dominant. In his lone year of starting experience before opting out, Tufele recorded 42 tackles, 26 pressures, 26 stops and 4.5 sacks in 672 snaps, mostly lining up at three-tech. Tufele struggled to put together consistent pass rush moves but developed a club/rip technique that played well off his hard-charging bull rush. Tufele can get overwhelmed by double-teams but excels when shooting gaps and pursuing the ball carrier on run plays. His high motor, power and athleticism despite being undersized for a nose tackle invite comparisons to former Vikings DL Chris Hovan.