Clemson running back Phil Mafah is one of the best running backs heading into the 2024 college football season.
That’s from Damian Parson, a college football analyst for The Draft network and co-host of the Locked On NFL Draft podcast. Parson recently gave the Tigers’ senior tailback a second-round grade for the 2025 NFL Draft.
“This is a grown man,” Parson said of Mafah, noting the tailback’s 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame. “Physical, downhill runner, what could be a kind of one-cut style. They run some zone, some gap stuff … One of the things I liked about him is that he worked on being a pass-catcher (this off-season) and he caught the ball effectively. He ran decent routes for a big-body guy. He runs with tempo and patience and follows his blocks. He gives his blockers time to set up.”
Playing alongside Will Shipley in the backfield a season ago, Mafah played in all 13 games in 2023, finishing just shy of a 1,000-yard rushing season. He totaled 965 yards and 13 touchdowns on 179 carries — all career-highs. The Loganville, Ga., native also caught 21 passes for 108 yards.
Mafah figures to play a star role in Garrett Riley’s offense this season, taking over the reins at tailback from Shipley, who declared for the 2024 NFL Draft and was a fourth-round selection by the Philadelphia Eagles.
“This is a guy who, if you are not prepared for what’s to come in the alley, this is going to be a fight that you’re not going to win,” Parson said of Mafah. “He’s one of those guys that falls forward, leans forward. He’s got a really good stiff-arm, but for 230 (pounds), he’s got a burst to him.”
Parson even compared Mafah to former LSU running back Leonard Fournette, who rushed for 3,830 yards in three seasons with the Bengal Tigers and ranks fourth on the school’s all-time rushing list.
Fournette was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round pick (4th overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft and had two 1,000-yard rushing seasons before winning a Super Bowl ring with the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“The last guy I’ve seen built this way that I recall that had a good burst that I was impressed with was Leonard Fournette,” Parson said. “So with Phil Mafah catching the ball, running the ball, (he’s) scheme-versatile. But it’s the patience… and this is a guy that to me, I think this year he’s going to be that lead back.
“Garrett Riley, as he calls it, the ‘Dirt Raid,’ he wants to run the ball and pound defenses into the turf. I see it, and I think with Phil Mafah, I see the full skill set.”
Clemson opens the 2024 season August 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta against the Georgia Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for noon EDT. The game will be televised nationally by ABC.
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