Gang Green Nation
The New York Jets recently signed former New England Patriots offensive lineman Liam Fornadel. Today we break Fornadel down in detail.
The 26-year old Fornadel is listed at 6’4″ and 312 pounds and was undrafted out of James Madison in 2022. He had never played in an NFL regular season game but spent time with New England in 2024. However, he’s been a three-year starter and all-star at the XFL/UFL level.
Background
Fornadel is a local product who attended Don Bosco Prep and was a three-star high school recruit.
He headed to James Madison in 2017 and he saw action in 15 games, starting two as a true freshman. Thereafter, he became a full-time starter with 29 starts over the next two years as he was a second team all-CAA selection in 2018, and a first teamer and FCS all-American in 2019 with JMU winning the FCS title.
The pandemic and an injury limited him to 10 starts over the next two seasons, but Fornadel ended his career with 41 starts in 54 appearances.
After his pro day and an appearance at the Hula Bowl, Fornadel wasn’t able to earn an NFL contract so he went to Canada and signed for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers but did not play there. Instead, he returned to play for the XFL’s DC Defenders in 2023, and played for them again in the UFL in 2024.
After starting 12 games and being named all-XFL in 2023, Fornadel was in the top five offensive linemen for run blocking, pass blocking and overall grade in 2024 according to Pro Football Focus.
After the season ended, New England signed Fornadel in June and he went to camp with them and played three preseason games with them. While he was released in final cuts, he spent most of the season on the Patriots’ practice squad before being released in December.
Fornadel returned to Defenders for the 2025 UFL season and posted the best pass blocking grade of any offensive lineman and the best overall grade for any guard according to PFF. The Defenders also won the UFL title.
The Jets signed him early on in camp after Gus Hartwig was lost for the season due to injury.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Fornadel brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Fornadel is big and powerful but lacks length. He managed 27 bench press reps at his pro day.
His speed and explosiveness numbers at his pro day were poor, as he ran just 5.51 and had a broad jump of 96 inches and a vertical of 24 inches. His agility numbers were good for his size though.
Usage
Fornadel has displayed good versatility by playing all five positions over the course of his career. He started two games at right guard as a freshman, but was then at right tackle for the next three seasons and left tackle in his final year. Then, in the XFL/UFL...
