Raiders Today

Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: G Atonio Mafi, UCLA

The Las Vegas Raiders can add one of the top run blockers in college football by drafting UCLA guard Atonio Mafi in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Jairo Alvarado

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The Las Vegas Raiders were forced to rotate their offensive linemen for various reasons, mostly in need of finding the right rotation last season.

A month away from the 2023 NFL Draft, Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler seems to have the plan to rebuild this team via the draft.

Guard Atonio Mafi, UCLA Bruins

“In 2022, Mafi saw action in all 12 games as a starter at left guard. He helped pave the way for the Bruins to average over 200 yards rushing for the third straight season. Mafi was named second-team All-Pac-12 by the league coaches and was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award,” Draft Bible said of Mafi.

What the Raiders will love most from Mafi is his durability, as he stayed healthy for four years, and the 6-foot-4, 339-pound lineman appeared in all 55 of the Bruins' games (tied for the most in school history).

When Mafi first arrived at Westwood as a three-star prospect, he was 411 pounds and lined up on the ball's defensive side. He would eventually rotate in as a nose tackle by his sophomore season.

Mafi would appear in 24 games as a defensive lineman, starting in 14, and racking up 45 tackles (17 solos), 6.0 tackles for losses, and a forced fumble before switching to the offensive line.

Since the 2020 COVID season, Mafi has appeared in 32 games, playing both the right and left guard positions.

According to Pro Football Focus, he played 910 snaps last season, where he paved the way for running back Zach Charbonnet put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons (2021,2022).

UCLA led the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game in both seasons, leading the conference in yards per carry in 2022 (6.0 yards).

Mafi will overpower and punish defensive linemen and linebackers in the running game but struggled early in the passing game, primarily because he had switched positions, and learning the playbook of an offensive lineman is far more challenging than for nose tackles.

Fast forward to this offseason, Mafi has lost nearly 70 pounds, and his athleticism and footwork have improved. He remains very raw, but Mafi has a high sealing to become a great lineman in the NFL.

Mafi is projected as a Day Three selection who can go as early as the fourth round, and I don't see him getting past the sixth round. He could start his NFL career as a good backup guard and work his way into a starting role across any position in the offensive line.

The Raiders can add depth in the offensive line via the draft and provide stability for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the franchise's future.

The NFL Draft will occur at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., from Thursday, April 27 to Saturday, April 29. ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network will broadcast all seven rounds.

The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this offseason.

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Jairo Alvarado
JAIRO ALVARADO

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