Atonio Mafi NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for UCLA IOL

HEIGHT: 6'3"

WEIGHT: 329

HAND: 32 5/8

ARM: 10 3/8

WINGSPAN: 79 3/4"

40-YARD DASH: TBD

3-CONE: TBD

SHUTTLE: TBD

VERTICAL: TBD

BROAD: TBD

POSITIVES

— Packs heat on the move as a puller and on climbs up to the second level off of combo blocks, delivering knockback power on contact

— Nasty, physical demeanor with another gear as the play progresses to rack up some thunderous pancakes

— Animated and infectious play personality on film

— Caves in and punishes adjacent defenders when uncovered and finding work

— Plays with impressive patience to maintain proper depth and let things unfold in front of him against line games and stunts

NEGATIVES

— Plays short and struggles to keep defenders off of his frame and at his fingertips

— Below-average mobility with an upright playing style that leads to catching blocks, allowing defensive tackles to easily work under/inside of his frame

— Minimal recovery ability when his initial strike is chopped or swiped

2023 STATISTICS

— 13 starts at LG

— Second team AP and coaches All-Pac 12 selection

NOTES

— Former 3-star guard recruit out of Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California

— Arrived at UCLA weighing 411 pounds and weighed in at his pro day at 329 pounds

— Played his first two years at UCLA along the defensive line with 24 appearances and 14 starts before moving to the offensive line in 2020.

— 32 career game appearances on the offensive line with 16 starts: 13 at LG and three at RG

— Tied the school record for most game appearances with 56

— Invited to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl

OVERALL

Atonio Mafi played nose tackle for his first two seasons at UCLA before switching to the offensive line in 2020. Mafi is a one-year starter with 13 starts at left guard in 2022 and three at right guard in 2021 inside the Bruins' 55-45 run-pass split, play-action/RPO heavy offense with a zone-based run scheme. Mafi has a maxed-out frame and dense build with thick limbs, some extra weight around his midsection and adequate athletic ability.

Mafi's best work comes on the move as a puller, on screens and second-level climbs, aligning smaller targets with jarring power to get them off-balance before unleashing a nasty streak to rack up highlight-reel finishes. He has a tangible, animated play personality on film and enjoys burying people. Mafi is naturally stout and powerful but plays short with an upright playing style that leads to quality interior run-defenders gaining quick access into his frame to stalemate and reset the line of scrimmage.

Mafi is a tone-setter when uncovered in pass-protection with the demeanor and heavy-handedness to deliver body blows on adjacent rushers to collapse and clear the pocket. He balances that with necessary patience to not chase movement on games, allowing things to unfold while maximizing his girth and big body to clog lanes. Mafi's issues are when isolated against interior and sub-package rushers, showing tardy strikes and minimal reactionary quickness, leaving him vulnerable to losing quickly and cleanly once chops/swipes connect.

Overall, Mafi is a wide-bodied tone-setting presence with good natural power and an understanding of how to maximize his size using patience that is impressive considering his inexperience level, but he plays short with an upright style and inconsistent punch timing that saps his leverage in the run game and leads to too many quick, clean losses in pass-protection. Mafi is worth rolling the dice on as a potential backup guard in a downhill, gap-based run scheme because of his size, demeanor, flashes of power and possibility for untapped potential considering how new he is to the position.

GRADE: 5.6 (Backup or Draftable/Rounds 6-7)

OVERALL RANK: 244

POSITION RANK: IOL27

PRO COMPARISON: Landon Turner

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn