NFL Draft Profile: Boye Mafe, Defensive End, Minnesota Golden Gophers
#34
Pos: DE
Ht: 6034
Wt: 261
Hand: 0978
Arm: 3258
Wing: 8128
40: 4.53
Bench: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Shuttle: N/A
Vert: 38
Broad: 1005
DOB: 11/30/98
Eligible: 2022
Minnetonka, MN
Hopkins High School
Boye Mafe
Minnesota Golden Gophers
One-Liners
Boye Mafe has the flashes of quickness and tenacity with his hands to be a quality stand-up rusher. His stiffness as an athlete limits his overall ability outside of pass-rushing, though.
Pros:
Mafe equips a fairly long frame that is coveted by decision-makers at the next level. He has great lateral movement from the edge to drift inside or outside from his starting alignment. Hands are extremely active and intense from the snap of the ball to the whistle. He gives opposing linemen a tough test every play when his hands get free range to work. Overall solid athlete and even showed the ability to be competent in coverage dropping into the flats. Mafe shows initial quickness, burst and good timing of the snap right off the line of scrimmage. He wins with motor and effort. Contributes on the field goal unit and occasionally on the punt return team. Flashes the ability to convert speed to power when rushing from a wider angle and taking a direct path to the quarterback. Straight-line speed is there in pursuit. Uses a violent move to rip through the outside shoulder on pass rush reps. Maintains balance and strength at the point of attack.
Cons:
Thin chest that typically gets attacked by good offensive linemen. Legs are thin as well and don’t have much room to grow based on appearance and thickness. Struggles as the contain edge against QB read options, often gets left in no-man’s-land out in space. Rarely has a secondary plan to counter an initial loss for his pass rushes. Needs to develop and learn more pass rush moves. Struggles in the run game to shed blocks and make plays in the gaps. Generally struggles with change of direction. Has the flexibility to drop the shoulder, but not enough flexibility in the lower-half to drop his center of gravity with ankle bend. Mafe also needs to figure out better technique in his tackling efforts to finish off more plays in the backfield.
Summary:
Mafe is a pure developmental stand-up edge rusher who shows more promise as a pass rusher than a run defender. He wins with immense effort and violent hands at the point of attack that doesn’t let up throughout the rep. He is a pretty good athlete who shows some speed and lateral agility to his game. Mafe has a lot to fix within his technique further learning of pass rush moves to truly evolve his game. He can contribute on special teams while that development occurs.
Background:
Boye Mafe attended Hopkins high school in Minnesota where he totaled 78 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks as a senior, plus he received All-State Second Team Defense honors. After high school, 247Sports ranked him as a 3-Star recruit, the 1493rd-best recruit nationally, the 78th-ranked weak-side defensive end recruit in the country and the 6th recruit in the state of Minnesota.
Mafe committed to Minnesota and redshirted his true freshman year in 2017. In 2018, he appeared in 10 games and finished with 12 tackles. In 2019, he appeared in 13 games and finished with 14 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. In 2020, he appeared in six games and finished with 27 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. In 2021, he appeared in 12 games and had a breakout year as he finished with 34 tackles, ten tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Mafe’s athleticism pops off the screen and he made Bruce Feldman’s “Freak” list in 2020 for his reported 40 ½” vertical jump, 4.57 40-yard-dash, 1.58 10-yard-split and ability to squat 653 pounds. In addition, those close to Mafe rave about his off-field qualities, such as his high school coach, John DenHartog, stating, “I think he is a tremendous athlete, but first and foremost, he’s a tremendous person.” Furthermore, Mafe is incredibly self-aware and that trait has helped fuel his improvement as a Gopher, “You can do a thousand reps of something, but if you don’t critique yourself every time to just make it a little bit better, it’s not necessarily going to get better.”
Floor/Ceiling: Special Teams / Starting Pass Rusher
Scheme Fit: 3-4 OLB
Grade: 2nd Round
Injury History: N/A
Character Notes: N/A
Quotables
"I don’t let them dictate what I do. I take control of the rep. I use my speed as an asset in that department. I use speed to get the offensive lineman on his heels. It gets him kicking and moving further back than he initially planned for. I can turn the corner or hit him with a chop. Defeating the outside arm is my go-to move." -- Bo Mafe on how he attacks offensive linemen
2/5/22 - The best player in the game, Mafe was a consistent pain to block in pass protection. He displayed the eye-popping athleticism that landed him on Bruce Feldman's "Freak List" by beating tackles around the edge with his speed and finishing with two sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Furthermore, Mafe generated numerous pressures, forcing the American quarterbacks out of the pocket and one of his pressures led to a sack for teammate Perrion Winfrey. Mafe pairs his get-off and bend with active hands that provides a promising profile as an impact pass rusher. He's solidified a top-100 ranking after having impressive tape and production to go along with his strong week in Mobile.
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