Minnesota DE Boye Mafe out to prove he’s more than just a raw prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft – Pro Football Network

Despite a sensational season for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Boye Mafe arrived in Mobile for the 2022 Reeses Senior Bowl with the feeling that he had something to prove. There were question marks, he felt, being asked of his candidacy as a prospect in a fiercely competitive 2022 NFL Draft EDGE class. Did he answer those questions? You better believe he did.

One of the biggest questions was people saying that Im a raw talent, Mafe said as he reflected on pre-Senior Bowl preconceptions and how he challenged them in Mobile during an exclusive sitdown with Pro Football Network. That Im not very developed yet, and theres a lot of work to be done with me. My main focus of the week was to showcase that I know what Im doing out there, that I have a lot of speed, burst, and acceleration off the edge.

As he ascends in this 2022 NFL Draft class, development is something that Mafe takes great pride in. By his own admission, the player that arrived in Minnesota for the 2017 college football season is unrecognizable from the dynamic, explosive pass rusher that opened up eyes and lit up offensive tackles during Senior Bowl practices.

I think its night and day, said Mafe of the differences in his game. I dont think youd be able to recognize what I looked like as a freshman to now. Thats what college is there for. Its a developmental stage in your career. You need to go through that time where you know youre not at your best. But you know that youll be somebody someday. So just keep working at it, and thats what I did.

The Senior Bowl is one of the last opportunities for coaches to see you play good-on-good football, Mafe continued while discussing the reasons why the Senior Bowl is so important for showcasing that hes the real deal in the NFL Draft process. You play against the best of the best competition, theyre all striving to be in the NFL. Being able to go against a lot of guys in that situation was very good for me to be able to showcase my skills, my talents, in a different light.

A hyper-athletic pass-rush talent, Mafe laughed as he told me the three best words to describe his game are fast, fast, explosive. While the NFL is a serious business, you can tell that the Minnesota defensive end wants it to be fun, too. A wrestling fan growing up, he sees the sport as a medium to entertain in the same way that stars on the square canvas do except his canvas is a football field.

High energy, motor, quick burst off the line, he said, describing what he brings to the field. I try and have fun out there, enjoy the game, make it an artwork. Try and make it something that people would enjoy watching.

Featured Story2022 2-Round NFL Mock Draft: Panthers and Commanders find their new QBs in the top 15

If the football field is akin to a wrestling canvas, Mafes pass-rush toolbox is his finishing move. While he jokes hed like to try out some wrestling moves on the field, the Minnesota defensive end has some go-to moves that he describes as his favorites. His athleticism will only get him so far as an NFL Draft prospect these tools of the trade will help him transition into an exceptional NFL player.

I like the stab. I like the swipes. Swipe is probably my favorite. I like to swipe, dip, and off the edge, Mafe said. Hes used those moves to get straight into the opposing backfield, where hes consistently resided over the course of the last four years in Minnesota and most recently in Mobile, where he earned National Team Player of the Game honors for his explosive performance.

Turn on any game Mafe points to Wisconsin in 2021 and the bowl game against West Virginia as prime examples and the talent is easy to see. What isnt apparent from purely watching the Minnesota defensive end go to work is the journey that hes undertaken to get here. He calls himself an open book, but did you know that hes of Nigerian ancestry and spent two years of middle school overseas?

It was very interesting, he reflected on his time in boarding school in Nigeria. It was something that, for me, you never really understand it until you look back, and you dont realize the blessings of it and how beneficial it was to me. In the moment, I was like, wow this is crazy! Im leaving everything that I knew and everything Im comfortable with. But, I enjoyed that time, I met new people and made new relationships. I grew up and matured, you learn how to grow up really fast.

His Nigerian heritage has proven to be extremely important to him as hes developed not only as a football player but also as a young man.

Its everything, Mafe said. Its my moral compass of how I carry myself and how I live my life. The culture, and the religion, everything that we do is based off the stuff that my parents instilled in me as a little kid. It makes me who I am today. The golden rule of taking care of your family, respecting your elders, respecting others. Thats how I live my life.

While hed grow to take care of his family, it was their environment that helped nurture and develop him as a blossoming football talent at a young age. The family is full of standout athletes, and Mafe points to their inspiration and direction as a driving force that helped produce the competitive nature that he showcases every week on the football field.

Its been a great development, Mafe said. Honestly, looking up to my siblings and cousins, everybody played sports, and it was something that Ive always liked to do and I enjoyed. When we got together, we were a very competitive family. So no matter what we were doing, wed make it competitive. Thats the competitive nature of our family.

The competitive nature translated to tackle football. Although he missed two years of football development during his trip to Nigeria, he picked it right back up on his return.

They kind of told me, Hey, come play tackle football with us! I didnt play for two seasons while I was at boarding school, Mafe said. But, when I came back, that was when it really kicked off for me. A lot of my closest friends I played with during middle school and high school. When I got to college, I was like, Oh, this is football for real, for real! Had to really get into gear and lock into the process of really getting better.

Born and bred in Minnesota, Mafe took his football talents to the field at Hopkins High School. While he was still developing as a football talent, there was no denying his athletic prowess. In addition to suiting up on Friday nights, he starred in track and field. It was an experience that would ultimately aid his football development.

I feel that, through track, I learned how to control my body, Mafe said. Running mechanics, learning how to strike the ground, how to lean into your run. Ultimately learning how to get maximum speed in a short burst of space. All the aspects of track can translate somewhere to football, and you can always use them in some area.

Mafe used them to devastating effect on the football field. Highly productive, he made a name for himself on all-star teams and earned All-Metro and All-State honors. However, when it came to recruiting for the college level, all athletic and performance advantages were negated by a lack of exposure for Minnesota high school athletes.

I mean, the recruiting process from Minnesota is very limited, Mafe said. Were not one of those big football states where you have a bunch of five stars. People dont put a lot of money into recruiting Minnesota. Hopefully, that changes in the near future. Theres a lot of talent in Minnesota that gets overlooked and that deserves recognition.

The nations loss was his home states gain. An offer from the University of Minnesota allowed Mafe to play his football close to home while showcasing his talents in the Big Ten. Before hed have the opportunity to do that, however, hed redshirt his freshman season, an experience that helped build the disruptive defensive monster that heads to the 2022 NFL Draft.

Honestly, it helps you learn the game, makes it slow down for you, Mafe said. You have the opportunity to really get the mental aspect of football. Going from high school to college, its really two different speeds. Youve got to learn to read faster, do your assignments faster. I took it upon myself to make sure that I was ready for the next season, working on my fundamentals and technique to get the opportunity to play.

After making his debut against New Mexico State, Mafe would go on to play four years for the Golden Gophers. Each season, hed be more productive for Minnesota, resulting in his most successful campaign of all in 2021. He tallied 19.5 tackles for loss and 15 sacks, all the while playing with the energy that embodies head coach P.J. Fleck.

Hes everything that you see on TV. Mafe smiled while reflecting on his head coach of five years. He has that energy, hes always energetic in everything that he does. He never slows down. I try to tell him sometimes, Relax! But thats him, thats how he does it. Thats how he lives his life, and that energy is contagious. I feel like a lot of things in football are contagious, and he used his energy throughout the university.

Despite his remaining eligibility, Mafe opted to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft following his four playing years in Minnesota. He reflected on the guys who are behind me, ready to play while embracing the fact that the next challenge for me is to play in the NFL. After receiving the invite for the Senior Bowl, he recognized that Im really doing a pretty good, decent job during his final season in the maroon and gold.

The athletic upside of the Minnesota defensive end is extremely enticing. Hes an explosive playmaker who has showcased the technical ability to shake off that raw prospect tag he feels has been hanging around his neck. Mafe is ready and raring to go, ready to showcase why an NFL team should take a shot on him in the NFL Draft.

My personality and my playing style, he said. Being willing to learn, honestly. Im ready to learn a new scheme and put myself in a new situation. I think thats exciting. Whats perhaps more exciting for an NFL team is how Mafe conjures up his feelings towards what it would mean to him personally to be selected in April. Its a tantalizing prospect.

It would mean the world, Mafe said. Its something that Ive been working towards my whole career. Now that its in front of me, I want to be able to move forward. Honestly, I think my best football is ahead of me. Well see where that takes me, see where it leads me.

Visit link:

Minnesota DE Boye Mafe out to prove he's more than just a raw prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft - Pro Football Network