UCLA offensive guard Atonio Mafi was right there for the taking for a New England Patriots team that appeared hell-bent on addressing their interior offensive line depth at the 2023 NFL draft.
The Patriots used the No. 144 overall pick in the fifth round to select the converted offensive lineman.
Mafi kick-started his collegiate career playing on defense, even earning a sack and four tackles for a loss as a defensive lineman in the 2019 season. But the real moneymaker for him was his abilities along the offensive front.
Mafi isn’t the most athletic player on the field, particularly in his ability to carry his weight with any form of lateral quickness, but he does have some size and power in the trenches.
UCLA offensive line coach Tim Drevno recently compared his build to Patriots offensive guard Michael Onwenu. If Mafi is half as good as Onwenu, he’ll be well on his way towards a long and prosperous career in the NFL.
Here’s what other media members were saying about this draft choice for New England:
Pro Football Network: C+
Pro Football Network’s Oliver Hodgkinson thinks Mafi is a bit too green to make much of an impact at all right out of the gates:
A puzzling pick, given the fact that Atonio Mafi is the third interior offensive lineman selected by New England since Day 3 started. A former defensive lineman, Mafi has a great get-off at the line of scrimmage, but he’s not refined in either facet on offense just yet. He’ll be a depth piece with a potentially high ceiling, but it’s getting more and more crowded on the inside of the Patriots’ offensive line.
CBS Sports: C-
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso questions Mafi’s balance and lateral quickness at the guard position:
Enormous, phone-booth blocker and will devastate smaller rushers at the next level. Only problem is he doesn’t have lateral quickness whatsoever and his balance needs work.
Bleacher Report: C
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski made an early comparison between Mafi and rookie guard Sidy Sow:
Bill Belichick is determined to improve the New England Patriots’ offensive interior. With three of their four Day 3 selections so far, the organization added Jake Andrews, Sidy Sow and now UCLA’s Atonio Mafi. The latter is similar to Sow, who is a piledriver, as a pure guard.
Michael Onwenu and Cole Strange shouldn’t be threatened, per se, but the Patriots made this particular spot a point of emphasis for a reason.
Pats Pulpit (SB Nation): A-
Pats Pulpit’s Bernd Buchmasser was one of the few big fans of the Mafi draft selection:
The Patriots went interior offensive line for three of their last four picks. While that seems like a lot, Mafi certainly is an intriguing player: he played defensive line until moving to the offensive side of the ball in 2020, and just three years later heard his name called in the NFL Draft. His potential alone is worth taking a shot at, even if it adds another body to an increasingly deep position group.
A to Z Sports: C-
A to Z Sports’ Doug Kyed noted Mafi only has one year of starting experience as a guard:
It was pretty funny at this point to see the Patriots take yet another offensive lineman that wasn’t a tackle. Mafi is a converted defensive lineman with just one year as a starting guard.
Patriots Wire: C+
Patriots Wire’s Cam Garrity wasn’t a big fan of the pick at first, but Mafi might be growing on him:
Mafi gave me the same feeling as Sow, but it was even worse. I’m not going to lie, but I started to spiral. This pick made me feel that each pick in Mapu, White, and Sow were to replace Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche and Mike Onwenu, who are all on the last year of their rookie contracts.
However, Matt Groh later went on to say that the Patriots can never have enough good lineman. Frankly he is right, and I really liked Mafi for the Patriots.
