A closer look at RB Phil Mafah and what he can and can't be

Bobhaze

Bobhaze

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The Cowboys have needed an upgrade at RB for two years. Since Tony Pollard left in free agency after 2023 and JJ’s famous kamikaze off-season in 2024 where the Cowboys didn’t even draft a RB, something needed to be done.

In the 2025 draft, the Cowboys finally selected two RBs, both Day 3 picks. Jaydon Blue of Univ of Texas in round 5 and Clemson’s Phil Mafa in round 7. Both are Day 3 picks for a reason but at least RB was addressed in the draft.

This thread takes a look at 7th round pick Phil Mafa. 6’1, 215, with a 4.55 40. What can he be? What can he not be?
First his college stats at Clemson and what they show:
  • 2021 (Freshman season) 9 games:
    • Rushing 68/292 yds, 4.3 ypc, 3 TDs
    • Receiving 7/50 yds, 7.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches 75/342 yds, 4.6 yds per touch, 3 TDs
  • 2022 (Soph season) 14 games
    • Rushing 98/515 yds, 5.3 ypc, 4 TDs
    • Receiving 9/48 yds, 5.3 ypc 0 TDs
    • Total touches 107/563 yds, 5.3 yds per touch 4 TDs
  • 2023 (Junior season) 13 games
    • Rushing 179/965 yds, 5.4 ypc, 13 TDs
    • Receiving 21/108 yds, 5.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches 200/1,073 yds, 5.4 yards per touch, 13 TDs
  • 2024 (Senior season) 14 games
    • Rushing 216/1,115 yds, 5.2 ypc, 8 TDs
    • Receiving 21/103 yards, 5.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total Touches: 237/1,218 yds, 5.1 yds per touch, 8 TDs
  • TOTALS (50 games)
    • Rushing 561/2,887 yds, 5.1 ypc, 28 TDs
    • Receiving 58/309 yds, 5.3 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches: 619/3,196 yds, 5.2 yds per touch, 28 TDs
What the college stats say to me is that while at Clemson, Mafa was a consistent, reliable, (not spectacular) running option, who was good but clearly not great. Probably not a good receiving option as his yards per catch show along with 0 TDs. He seems to be a good red zone runner with some size. Not a lot of breakaway speed.

Here’s what NFL.com had to say about Mafa in their scouting report:
STRENGTHS
  • Totes the rock in a linebacker-like frame.
  • Keeps runs on track and rarely gets caught trying to do too much.
  • Follows blocks and steers them into contact before cutting.
  • Heavy behind his pads and wears tacklers down.
  • Accelerates through contact as a run finisher.
WEAKNESSES
  • Lacks initial quickness to get the run kicked off.
  • Tight-hipped with limited quickness in his cuts.
  • Unable to side-step defenders in smaller spaces.
  • Transmission lacks acceleration and gear shifts.
  • Doesn’t offer much in the passing game.
The pre-draft score for Phil Mafa according to NFL.com is 5.69 which is categorized as a player who is probably a deeper back-up, practice squad type player.

As a 7th round pick, Mafa is a long shot to say the least. He’s got some skills though. With his size, durability and reputation as wearing people down, he could be a good red zone, short yardage option, or maybe a RB to feed with a 4th qtr 10 point lead.

So Mafa appears to have a narrow but clearly defined skill set. He’s not spectacular but as we head to TC, he will be an interesting player to watch. My expectations are low but I would love to be surprised.
 
Hope Mafa pleasantly surprises and becomes much more than a mere practice squad guy .

... sounds like he's a churning collision type but i'm leary of guys that need running momentum and and OL having to labor that much harder to make run lanes for a guy that lacks cutting ability, elusivenss and quickness in & out of the hole. - is he just a str8 line guy ..?
Is he James Conner 2.0 ? or anything resembling what pre- ACL Jevontae Williams used to be ..?

We'll see...
 
With above average OL play Mafah can be productive. Same for Blue. We have a lot riding on our 3 first round OL this year.

That has to work out for any of these RBs to have success.

Out of curiosity, what was Dowdle's pre-draft score? What about Blue?
 
We may get somewhat of an accurate idea of what to expect from Mafah in his preseason outings.

The improved performance of our OL should offer good clues as to his capabilities. Let's take note.
 
Last edited:
The video I saw on Mafah made him look really slow. The concern is that holes will close by the time he gets to them and any toughness advantage he has will be nullified with gang tackling. A lot of his highlights had holes big enough that anyone could have made positive yardage.

Between him and Blue, I'm faaaar more optimistic about Blue.
 
quickccc said:
Hope Mafa pleasantly surprises and becomes much more than a mere practice squad guy .

... sounds like he's a churning collision type but i'm leary of guys that need running momentum and and OL having to labor that much harder to make run lanes for a guy that lacks cutting ability, elusivenss and quickness in & out of the hole. - is he just a str8 line guy ..?
Is he James Conner 2.0 ? or anything resembling what pre- ACL Jevontae Williams used to be ..?

We'll see...
Click to expand...
The current starting offensive line is very large and to the advantage of Dallas runners. The emerging offensive tackles will hold the answers.
 
I’d like to see him push Luepke.

Hunter gets a pass because his position is “FB” instead of “RB”, but other than catching out of the backfield, I see Mafa giving us better short yardage capability.
 
Bobhaze said:
The Cowboys have needed an upgrade at RB for two years. Since Tony Pollard left in free agency after 2023 and JJ’s famous kamikaze off-season in 2024 where the Cowboys didn’t even draft a RB, something needed to be done.

In the 2025 draft, the Cowboys finally selected two RBs, both Day 3 picks. Jaydon Blue of Univ of Texas in round 5 and Clemson’s Phil Mafa in round 7. Both are Day 3 picks for a reason but at least RB was addressed in the draft.

This thread takes a look at 7th round pick Phil Mafa. 6’1, 215, with a 4.55 40. What can he be? What can he not be?
First his college stats at Clemson and what they show:
  • 2021 (Freshman season) 9 games:
    • Rushing 68/292 yds, 4.3 ypc, 3 TDs
    • Receiving 7/50 yds, 7.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches 75/342 yds, 4.6 yds per touch, 3 TDs
  • 2022 (Soph season) 14 games
    • Rushing 98/515 yds, 5.3 ypc, 4 TDs
    • Receiving 9/48 yds, 5.3 ypc 0 TDs
    • Total touches 107/563 yds, 5.3 yds per touch 4 TDs
  • 2023 (Junior season) 13 games
    • Rushing 179/965 yds, 5.4 ypc, 13 TDs
    • Receiving 21/108 yds, 5.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches 200/1,073 yds, 5.4 yards per touch, 13 TDs
  • 2024 (Senior season) 14 games
    • Rushing 216/1,115 yds, 5.2 ypc, 8 TDs
    • Receiving 21/103 yards, 5.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total Touches: 237/1,218 yds, 5.1 yds per touch, 8 TDs
  • TOTALS (50 games)
    • Rushing 561/2,887 yds, 5.1 ypc, 28 TDs
    • Receiving 58/309 yds, 5.3 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches: 619/3,196 yds, 5.2 yds per touch, 28 TDs
What the college stats say to me is that while at Clemson, Mafa was a consistent, reliable, (not spectacular) running option, who was good but clearly not great. Probably not a good receiving option as his yards per catch show along with 0 TDs. He seems to be a good red zone runner with some size. Not a lot of breakaway speed.

Here’s what NFL.com had to say about Mafa in their scouting report:
STRENGTHS
  • Totes the rock in a linebacker-like frame.
  • Keeps runs on track and rarely gets caught trying to do too much.
  • Follows blocks and steers them into contact before cutting.
  • Heavy behind his pads and wears tacklers down.
  • Accelerates through contact as a run finisher.
WEAKNESSES
  • Lacks initial quickness to get the run kicked off.
  • Tight-hipped with limited quickness in his cuts.
  • Unable to side-step defenders in smaller spaces.
  • Transmission lacks acceleration and gear shifts.
  • Doesn’t offer much in the passing game.
The pre-draft score for Phil Mafa according to NFL.com is 5.69 which is categorized as a player who is probably a deeper back-up, practice squad type player.

As a 7th round pick, Mafa is a long shot to say the least. He’s got some skills though. With his size, durability and reputation as wearing people down, he could be a good red zone, short yardage option, or maybe a RB to feed with a 4th qtr 10 point lead.

So Mafa appears to have a narrow but clearly defined skill set. He’s not spectacular but as we head to TC, he will be an interesting player to watch. My expectations are low but I would love to be surprised.
Click to expand...
I’m happy you posted this. Much more realistic than the person who said he’s similar to Derrick Henry
 
He's a serviceable underrated RB that might have a better pro career than college. At worst, he's a 700-800 total yard guy. Maybe gets 5-10 TDS a year. At best? That's the question. None of us really know right now. Not til the pads are on.
 
Should have drafted Donovon Edwards. Hes a power 5 guy and 5 star recruit. Had to split time with Blake Corum and was the thunder with Kaleel Mullings Lightning. Although Edwards was a top 5 RAS guy with 4.4 speed at 212 lbs. RAS guys seem to be Dallas forte. Surprised he wasn't the pick. He is a way better back than Mafah. Jets are raving about him in camp.
 
Thanks for putting things in perspective. The reality is very few players drafted in the 7th round turn out to be very good in the NFL. Starting with the first round, the number of players to achieve anything in the NFL decreases with each round and most 7th rounders never have a career in the NFL. The number of pro-bowl players decreases dramatically with each round as well.

This doesn't mean there aren't 7th round picks, or UDFAs that do well. There are some. Most of the time they drop in the draft for reasons besides performance on the field. Injuries, reputations, playing for small schools or other attributes can cause players not to get drafted. Some of those guys then go on to do well in the NFL.

But the reality is the vast majority drop because they have significant flaws compared to first round players. This is why I think we need to be cautious before we pencil in Jay Toia at DT before he has played a down of preseason football. I would love for Mafah and Toia to be good players for Dallas, but what are the odds they find 2 gems in the 7th round? If one of Phil Mafah, Jay Toia, and Tommy Akingbesote winds up making an impact on the 2025 Dallas Cowboys, I will be pretty happy. If 2 make a difference I will be shocked, in a good way.
 
Bobhaze said:
The Cowboys have needed an upgrade at RB for two years. Since Tony Pollard left in free agency after 2023 and JJ’s famous kamikaze off-season in 2024 where the Cowboys didn’t even draft a RB, something needed to be done.

In the 2025 draft, the Cowboys finally selected two RBs, both Day 3 picks. Jaydon Blue of Univ of Texas in round 5 and Clemson’s Phil Mafa in round 7. Both are Day 3 picks for a reason but at least RB was addressed in the draft.

This thread takes a look at 7th round pick Phil Mafa. 6’1, 215, with a 4.55 40. What can he be? What can he not be?
First his college stats at Clemson and what they show:
  • 2021 (Freshman season) 9 games:
    • Rushing 68/292 yds, 4.3 ypc, 3 TDs
    • Receiving 7/50 yds, 7.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches 75/342 yds, 4.6 yds per touch, 3 TDs
  • 2022 (Soph season) 14 games
    • Rushing 98/515 yds, 5.3 ypc, 4 TDs
    • Receiving 9/48 yds, 5.3 ypc 0 TDs
    • Total touches 107/563 yds, 5.3 yds per touch 4 TDs
  • 2023 (Junior season) 13 games
    • Rushing 179/965 yds, 5.4 ypc, 13 TDs
    • Receiving 21/108 yds, 5.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches 200/1,073 yds, 5.4 yards per touch, 13 TDs
  • 2024 (Senior season) 14 games
    • Rushing 216/1,115 yds, 5.2 ypc, 8 TDs
    • Receiving 21/103 yards, 5.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total Touches: 237/1,218 yds, 5.1 yds per touch, 8 TDs
  • TOTALS (50 games)
    • Rushing 561/2,887 yds, 5.1 ypc, 28 TDs
    • Receiving 58/309 yds, 5.3 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches: 619/3,196 yds, 5.2 yds per touch, 28 TDs
What the college stats say to me is that while at Clemson, Mafa was a consistent, reliable, (not spectacular) running option, who was good but clearly not great. Probably not a good receiving option as his yards per catch show along with 0 TDs. He seems to be a good red zone runner with some size. Not a lot of breakaway speed.

Here’s what NFL.com had to say about Mafa in their scouting report:
STRENGTHS
  • Totes the rock in a linebacker-like frame.
  • Keeps runs on track and rarely gets caught trying to do too much.
  • Follows blocks and steers them into contact before cutting.
  • Heavy behind his pads and wears tacklers down.
  • Accelerates through contact as a run finisher.
WEAKNESSES
  • Lacks initial quickness to get the run kicked off.
  • Tight-hipped with limited quickness in his cuts.
  • Unable to side-step defenders in smaller spaces.
  • Transmission lacks acceleration and gear shifts.
  • Doesn’t offer much in the passing game.
The pre-draft score for Phil Mafa according to NFL.com is 5.69 which is categorized as a player who is probably a deeper back-up, practice squad type player.

As a 7th round pick, Mafa is a long shot to say the least. He’s got some skills though. With his size, durability and reputation as wearing people down, he could be a good red zone, short yardage option, or maybe a RB to feed with a 4th qtr 10 point lead.

So Mafa appears to have a narrow but clearly defined skill set. He’s not spectacular but as we head to TC, he will be an interesting player to watch. My expectations are low but I would love to be surprised.
Click to expand...
Glad you posted this. I was misinformed earlier by some site that had wrong stats.
 
Bobhaze said:
The Cowboys have needed an upgrade at RB for two years. Since Tony Pollard left in free agency after 2023 and JJ’s famous kamikaze off-season in 2024 where the Cowboys didn’t even draft a RB, something needed to be done.

In the 2025 draft, the Cowboys finally selected two RBs, both Day 3 picks. Jaydon Blue of Univ of Texas in round 5 and Clemson’s Phil Mafa in round 7. Both are Day 3 picks for a reason but at least RB was addressed in the draft.

This thread takes a look at 7th round pick Phil Mafa. 6’1, 215, with a 4.55 40. What can he be? What can he not be?
First his college stats at Clemson and what they show:
  • 2021 (Freshman season) 9 games:
    • Rushing 68/292 yds, 4.3 ypc, 3 TDs
    • Receiving 7/50 yds, 7.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches 75/342 yds, 4.6 yds per touch, 3 TDs
  • 2022 (Soph season) 14 games
    • Rushing 98/515 yds, 5.3 ypc, 4 TDs
    • Receiving 9/48 yds, 5.3 ypc 0 TDs
    • Total touches 107/563 yds, 5.3 yds per touch 4 TDs
  • 2023 (Junior season) 13 games
    • Rushing 179/965 yds, 5.4 ypc, 13 TDs
    • Receiving 21/108 yds, 5.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches 200/1,073 yds, 5.4 yards per touch, 13 TDs
  • 2024 (Senior season) 14 games
    • Rushing 216/1,115 yds, 5.2 ypc, 8 TDs
    • Receiving 21/103 yards, 5.1 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total Touches: 237/1,218 yds, 5.1 yds per touch, 8 TDs
  • TOTALS (50 games)
    • Rushing 561/2,887 yds, 5.1 ypc, 28 TDs
    • Receiving 58/309 yds, 5.3 ypc, 0 TDs
    • Total touches: 619/3,196 yds, 5.2 yds per touch, 28 TDs
What the college stats say to me is that while at Clemson, Mafa was a consistent, reliable, (not spectacular) running option, who was good but clearly not great. Probably not a good receiving option as his yards per catch show along with 0 TDs. He seems to be a good red zone runner with some size. Not a lot of breakaway speed.

Here’s what NFL.com had to say about Mafa in their scouting report:
STRENGTHS
  • Totes the rock in a linebacker-like frame.
  • Keeps runs on track and rarely gets caught trying to do too much.
  • Follows blocks and steers them into contact before cutting.
  • Heavy behind his pads and wears tacklers down.
  • Accelerates through contact as a run finisher.
WEAKNESSES
  • Lacks initial quickness to get the run kicked off.
  • Tight-hipped with limited quickness in his cuts.
  • Unable to side-step defenders in smaller spaces.
  • Transmission lacks acceleration and gear shifts.
  • Doesn’t offer much in the passing game.
The pre-draft score for Phil Mafa according to NFL.com is 5.69 which is categorized as a player who is probably a deeper back-up, practice squad type player.

As a 7th round pick, Mafa is a long shot to say the least. He’s got some skills though. With his size, durability and reputation as wearing people down, he could be a good red zone, short yardage option, or maybe a RB to feed with a 4th qtr 10 point lead.

So Mafa appears to have a narrow but clearly defined skill set. He’s not spectacular but as we head to TC, he will be an interesting player to watch. My expectations are low but I would love to be surprised.
Click to expand...
I actually have to disagree about the red zone. In the red zone, everything is scrunched up. Quickness and lateral agility are at a premium. Mafah lacks both.
 
Creeper said:
Thanks for putting things in perspective. The reality is very few players drafted in the 7th round turn out to be very good in the NFL. Starting with the first round, the number of players to achieve anything in the NFL decreases with each round and most 7th rounders never have a career in the NFL. The number of pro-bowl players decreases dramatically with each round as well.

This doesn't mean there aren't 7th round picks, or UDFAs that do well. There are some. Most of the time they drop in the draft for reasons besides performance on the field. Injuries, reputations, playing for small schools or other attributes can cause players not to get drafted. Some of those guys then go on to do well in the NFL.

But the reality is the vast majority drop because they have significant flaws compared to first round players. This is why I think we need to be cautious before we pencil in Jay Toia at DT before he has played a down of preseason football. I would love for Mafah and Toia to be good players for Dallas, but what are the odds they find 2 gems in the 7th round? If one of Phil Mafah, Jay Toia, and Tommy Akingbesote winds up making an impact on the 2025 Dallas Cowboys, I will be pretty happy. If 2 make a difference I will be shocked, in a good way.
Click to expand...
Impact? I'd be ecstatic if one makes a decent backup or STer.
 
Rayman70 said:
He's a serviceable underrated RB that might have a better pro career than college. At worst, he's a 700-800 total yard guy. Maybe gets 5-10 TDS a year. At best? That's the question. None of us really know right now. Not til the pads are on.
Click to expand...
Nope. He has not proven to be serviceable, not in the least. At worst he's a camp cut. At best he might be a decent blocker.

Why you so high on him? Most 7th rounders don't make the team.
 
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