Boye Mafe – EDGE – 23 – Senior – Minnesota
Cut : 1m95
Weight : 116kg
Estimated draft position: 30-50
Stats 2021: 34 tackles including 7 sacks causing opponents to lose 49 yards
NFL Comparison: Kwity Paye (Colts)
Strong points
Known because effective in the Big 10 conference, followed because noticed in the Senior Bowl, Boye Mafe showed during the NFL Combine that much better than normal athletic qualities enrich his profile: 4th in the sprint, for example. During his Pro Day*, his vertical jump was measured at 1m05! Either the same as Jalen Ramsey showed during the 2016 NFL Combine, with 20 kilos less to lift. Certainly, a cornerback must have relaxation for aerial duels and this attribute concerns defensive linemen much less. But it illustrates the profile of this player with superior physical qualities.
*Pro Day: all universities organize sessions on their campuses where their players can show their talents to NFL staff.
A 41.5” vertical jump for Boye Mafe (weighed in 257 pounds today) at the #Gophers Pro Day. 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/wMVPbMnFTQ
— Daniel House (@DanielHouseNFL) March 16, 2022
The suddenness of his first supports is best expressed when Boye Mafe is aligned like an NFL 34OLB: spread (6 or 7-Technique) and while standing (and not with one hand on the ground). He is this kind of exterior pass rusher, athletic to eliminate the opponent because he is fast and explosive.
Weak points
- Technical
- One diagram or two?
The floor being higher, each rookie is coached in NFL, in the first sense of the term. And the young players arrive with more or less baggage. Boye Mafe will have to improve his use of hands and his attacking angles. With the Minnesota Gophers he played in a base 43 defense. Certainly. But in Minneapolis the defensive staff likes to have a strong DE on one side (edge setter) and a more fluid one on the other (edge rusher). Boye Mafe held this position that could be likened to that of a 34OLB in the NFL. Can it interest defenses preferring a system in 43?
In the NFL too, the schemes can be hybrid. Whether relatively constant or depending on the moments of a match or an opponent. Boye Mafe does not yet seem like a player capable of expressing himself so well in one role or the other. But his athletic profile can nevertheless correspond to all teams: selecting a complete player is certainly valuable, but being able to put pressure on the opposing QB is so important that even a specialist is important. Especially if he is a young player with room for improvement to be able to expand his arsenal.
The course
Born in suburban Minneapolis, Boye Mafe has Nigerian-born parents. So, like his 6 siblings, he spent his last year before high school in Africa. Returning a year later at the age of 14, he had then joined high school and his career at Hopkins High in Grand Valley was able to develop him from an athletic point of view: shot put, sprint, high jump and in length and of course, by playing football (78 tackles including 4 sacks in his senior season).
Relatively little recruited, he nevertheless manages to be spotted by the locals, and finally by the university where he wanted to go. Four years, two as a starter and 15 sacks, he still has some progress to make to last in a fiercely competitive league. But already, he has the physical attributes, a work base and a seriousness that can convince a franchise to bet on his second draft pick. A “good mafe, good thieb” player. (African expression to speak of a strong man)
Possible destinations
Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears
The Chiefs are in lack of pass rush with only 31 sacks in 2021 (29th NFL), half of which for inside players, Chris Jones in the lead with 9. The Giants could obtain a partner opposite Azeez Ojulari . The Cleveland Browns have no more choices in the 1st round but still have a need for the opposite of Myles Garrett. Although a priori the Ravens selected a comparable profile last year (Odafe Oweh), they could also be interested in choice 45. The Bears of Matt Eberflus, coordinator of the Colts when they drafted Kwity Paye, lost a impact player in this position: Khalil Mack.
