Clemson Tigers Running Back Sees Draft Stock Drop After Poor Performance

Phil Mafah of the Clemson Tigers has seen his draft stock drop following a poor game.

Nov 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Clemson Tigers running back Phil Mafah (7) runs the ball against Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis (9) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers are finishing up what has been a solid 2024 campaign, and that means some of their players will be heading to the next level. 

With the season coming to a close for the Tigers, the program is hoping to finish out the year strong and will hope a few things fall their way. While Clemson is the leader in the clubhouse in the ACC with a (7-1) record in the conference, they don’t control their own destiny to make the title game. 

The Tigers will be hoping that either the SMU Mustangs or Miami Hurricanes slip up down the stretch, as Clemson doesn’t have the tie-breaker over either one of those teams. 

Luckily, in Week 12, the Tigers were able to keep their ACC title hopes alive. However, it wasn’t an easy victory. Against the Pittsburgh Panthers, the Tigers were never able to get their senior running back Phil Mafah going on the ground, as he totaled just 17 yards. 

Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report and the B/R Scouting Department recently spoke about the poor performance hurting the draft stock of Mafah. 

“If you sat on the couch and watched the Clemson Tigers play the Pittsburgh Panthers, you nearly averaged as many yards per carry as Phil Mafah did.The senior ball-carrier gained only 17 yards on 17 attempts, which highlighted his weaknesses as a tight, build-up-speed runner. Mafah is having the best season of his career and is about to cross the 1,000 rushing-yard mark for the first time," Parson said. Last weekend proved to be his worst outing of the season. He did not have room to work and could not generate much on his own.”

The poor game from the senior running back was surprising to see, as he started to put together a really strong year. Prior to the game against the Panthers, he had totaled over 100 yards rushing in four out of five games. 

However, with the offensive line banged up, Mafah might not have been able to prove that he can make defenders miss and create something out of nothing. That is an important trait for a running back at the next level, as there won’t always be clear running lanes. 

The poor performance against Pittsburgh could have been an outlier, but bad performances like that can stick. Mafah will have a few more games this season to prove what he can do, as he should be getting over the 1,000-yard rushing mark against The Citadel Bulldogs in Week 13.