Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: Boye Mafe, Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Las Vegas Raiders can boost their dynamic pass rush by drafting Minnesota Golden Gopher Boye Mafe.
Mafe might have been the player most people were talking about after an impressive week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
His showing during practices immediately caught the attention of NFL coaches and scouts, and his performance in the game had everyone boosting his draft stock afterwards.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said Sunday he “just finished studying” the Minnesota edge rusher. “The splash plays at the (Senior) Bowl weren’t a fluke. This dude is explosive!! He’s a first round talent.”
Mafe, a raw but yet explosive edge rusher who is projected to be a day three selection, primarily in the fourth to fifth round, collected enough buzz to skyrocket himself into the earlier rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft.
“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,” NFL Draft Bible noted.
His two sacks, forced fumble, and three tackles for losses during the Senior Bowl displayed that he can get off quick on his first step and generate a pass rush on the outside and earned him National Player of the Game.
“We didn’t come out here to lollygag through it,” Mafe said. “We told each other to go out and have our best games and play our best football. This was our last time to get to represent our schools so why not go out on a good note.”
In 13 games as a Golden Gopher, the electrifying edge rusher racked up 34 tackles, 10 tackles for losses, seven sacks and a forced fumble.
A freak athlete, at 6-feet-4, 260 pounds, he runs a 4.57 40-yard dash, a 1.58 10-yard split, and jumps to 40.5-inches vertical.
The Raiders have a group of talented edge rushers, but in a class this loaded at that position it is hard to not consider a player such as Mafe.
If available in the mid-rounds or later, the Raiders might just pick up a talented edge rusher who continues to grow as a player.
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