'He's on the cusp of being a superstar': Rave review for ex-Gopher Boye Mafe

Mafe improves every season he plays football.

Aug 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) celebrates a sack in the first quarter agains the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Gower-Imagn Images / Casey Gower-Imagn Images

Boye Mafe had a breakout second season in the NFL in 2023 when he racked up 58 total pressures and nine sacks for the Seattle Seahawks. After recording nine pressures and one sack in Week 1, he looks like he's leveled up as one of the most promising young pass rushers in the league.

To open the 2024-25 season, Mafe had one of the best football games of his career, wreaking havoc on the Broncos all afternoon. Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave his performance a 74.0 overall grade. NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah came away even more impressed.

"I'd like to buy all of the Boye Mafe stock that's available. He's on the cusp of being a superstar. He plays at a different speed and he's starting to learn how to rush the passer," Jeremiah posted on X.

Hailing from Hopkins High School in the Twin Cities, Mafe showed continued improvement throughout his college career with the Gophers. As a senior, he finished with 42 total pressures and seven sacks. After an impressive pre-draft process, he was selected in the second round (40th overall) by Seattle.

Despite his production in the Big Ten, he was still viewed as a relatively raw prospect. After playing 452 snaps as a rookie, his role nearly doubled last season with 808 total snaps. He played 60 defensive snaps in Week 1, earning a 73.5 run defense grade and a 66.6 pass-rush grade from PFF.

Seattle went through a significant change as a franchise in the offseason as long-time head coach Pete Carroll retired. They hired defensive-minded head coach Mike Macdonald and it's clear that Mafe has earned his trust and has become a cornerstone of Seattle's defense.

Mafe was the 1,527th-ranked recruit in the 2017 recruiting class, according to 247sports. Less than eight years after signing with the Gophers, he looks like one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.