49ers Draft Pursuit: Minnesota Edge Rusher Boye Mafe
Meet The Player:
- Boye Mafe, EDGE, 6 foot 4, 263 lbs, Senior Minnesota
2021 Key Stats:
Won the National Player Of The Game at the Senior Bowl.
7 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumbles, 34 Tackles (10 for loss)
Strengths:
His physical size immediately jumps off the screen -- not just in his body type, but his hands look massive. Reminds me of the Betty Crocker oven glove commercials from back in the '90s. That visual physicality shows up in his game through a solid bull rush and vicious hands. Pairing with that physicality is a motor that never slows down. When facing mobile quarterbacks, Mafe shows a ton of patience. If he does not find home immediately, he will drop back and try to bat down the ball while holding the edge.
Weaknesses:
Talking through his physicality above, it also shows up as a weakness. He relies on his God given athleticism to win and, when it doesn't, he shows a lack of refinement. Getting fooled in the run game is his biggest weakness that showed up repeatedly on film. It seemed like every zone read that was ran against Minnesota, Mafe guessed wrong. Interestingly enough, as well as he shows patience in the pass game, he shows the opposite in the run game.
Final Thoughts:
Mafe has nearly all of the traits you want in a pass rusher along with effort. As a coach who is developing a player, there can't be much more to ask for. I personally would rather dial a player back than trying to pull more out of him. No prospect is perfect and Mafe needs refinement to be a three down player. But in the NFC West his ability to contain mobile quarterbacks would certainly be welcomed. Although I do like other prospects better, I think Mafe would be the best immediate fit for the 49ers out of the Round 2 EDGE prospects.
