NFL Draft Senior Bowl Standout Boye Mafe
After being one of the best players at the Senior Bowl, Boye Mafe followed that up at the Combine running a 4.53 40 time. The Minnesota Gopher continues to impre s and continues to move up draft boards.How would he fit in Atlanta?If the want another playmaker on their Michael Porter Jersey defense, Mafe is an intriguing option.Pa s GameMafe really puts stre s on offensive tackles due to his explosive get-off and first step.Primarily in a two-point stance, Mafe wins with speed, strength, and his violent hands. When attacking tackles on the edge, he likes to get his inside hand inside the lineman’s chest and chop the outside arm of the tackle. He has good hip flexibility and balance. He displays good play strength and can use a bull rush as one of his moves. He shows active hands when fighting through a block. He rushes with good depth and does not get too wide in his arc.There were not a lot of reps of Mafe in coverage, but this past year against Ohio State he displayed some very good athletic ability when it came to pa s coverage. Ohio State ran a play where the running back leaked out on a wheel route and Mafe was able to keep up with the RB every step of the way. You just cannot teach that.He has the athletic requirements to play in coverage, but the mental side of things will determine how succe sful he is. There was one rep where he was able to jam the tight end as he was getting into his release.When trailing in coverage, Mafe will need to learn to look Jerami Grant Jersey back for the ball. This is something that can come with more Gary Harris Jersey reps as he goes along in his proce s of becoming an NFL player.Scroll to ContinueRun GameMafe has good short-area quickne s and wiggle which allows him to beat blockers to avoid them and beat them to a spot.He has good lateral agility to work down the line of scrimmage in run support. He does need to work on his eye discipline, as he can bite on RPOs pretty hard instead of keeping the backside contained. This also occurs on reverses and end-arounds. When he gue ses right, he can be a highly effective defender against inside run plays.Overall, he has the ability to play through contact and make stops in the inside run game. He has the twitch and the change of direction ability to reverse course and run-down ball carriers for minimal gains. He does a good job of striking and pulling guards to restrict the inside lane created on trap and counter plays. He displays active hands in the pa sing game but it does not always show up in the run game. He can be blocked and driven back some when he does not use his hands and strength to his advantage.Coaches will likely want to see more pop in his hands as well, which also showed up when he was pa s rushing. He has a good motor and is always hustling. He is a good, strong tackler who consistently gets his man to the ground.Bottom LineThe No. 1 defensive end out of the Thomas Welsh Jersey state of Minnesota, Mafe chose to play college ball in his home state and never looked back.After redshirting his freshman year in 2017, Mafe gained more momentum and playing time every year. With 42 career games played under his belt, Mafe finished his career 9th all-time in school history with 15 sacks.Playing primarily in a two-point stance his whole career, Mafe projects as a 3-4 OLB at the next level. His explosivene s and hip flexibility will be desired in what is a deep edge cla s. Mafe has a similar playstyle as Indianapolis Colts edge rusher Ben Banogu, who was drafted 49th overall in Dikembe Mutombo Jersey 2019.After a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, Combine, and Pro Say, do not be surprised if he finds his way into the of the draft. But if he’s there on Day 2 and at the Falcons pick at No. 43, Mafe could become the next big thing for the Atlanta defense.