It’s often said that edge rushers need a full year in the NFL before proverbial light goes on. Rookies are dealing with experienced offensive tackles who not only know all their moves, but can also counter them with moves those rookies have never seen. So, the kids learn as they go, and eventually (well, hopefully), they’re able to match their athletic traits with the things they need to know to succeed at the highest level.
When the Seahawks selected Boye Mafe of Minnesota with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2022 draft, that was the hope for him. Mafe had some things to learn, but he also had the ability to rush from multiple gaps with both speed and power.
Mafe had three sacks and 12 total pressures in 200 pass-rushing snaps in his rookie season. But it all paid off starting in 2023. From Week 3 against the Caroling Panthers through Week 10 against the Washington Commanders, Mafe had a sack in every game. And it wasn’t just about sacks for the second-year man — Mafe totaled nine sacks, seven quarterback hits, and 42 quarterback hurries last season. Among edge defenders selected in the 2022 draft, only Aidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions, George Karlaftis of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Travon Walker of the Jacksonville Jaguars had more total pressures than Mafe’s 58 — on 443 pass-rushing snaps.
Mafe is excited about his place in new head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense, as the pressure in that scheme tends to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He was recently on former NFL edge-rusher Chris Long’s Green Light podcast, and Mafe also got into the two offensive tackles that have given him the most trouble to date: Right tackle Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers.
On Johnson, Mafe had this to say:
“The thing people don’t give Lane credit [for] is how smart he is. I’ve never had a tackle pass set me on a run down. I don’t know how he knows, but he’ll pass set you, I’ll beat him on a move, I’ll look, and the ball’s going the other way. I’m like, ‘Aw man, this is gonna look terrible [on film].’
“If a tackle stays square on you, it makes your job harder… if a tackle opens and closes the door, and kick-drops his leg back, that’s fair game.”
Boye Mafe of the @Seahawks explaining why @Eagles RT Lane Johnson is tough to deal with on @JOEL9ONE's Green Light podcast: "The thing people don't give Lane credit [for] is how smart he is. I've never had a tackle pass set me on a run down. I don't know how he knows, but he'll… pic.twitter.com/B05todArJG
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) July 2, 2024
As for Williams, the best left tackle in the NFL today, Mafe had all kinds of things to say about how the future Hall of Famer takes edge-rushers out of their games.
“The big difference with him is his athleticism. Trent can give you the [gap] and then take it away. You think it’s wide open, and the next thing you know, he’s squeezing right back with you.
“One thing I’ve noticed about him is that he’s quick with his hands. When people go to power, he does not let power sit on him. He’s chopping that hand down as soon as you get it in there. He’s quick with his hands, so you’ve got to play a game with him. You’ve got to make him think.”
Boye Mafe of the @Seahawks on the challenges of facing Trent Williams of the @49ers on @JOEL9ONE's Green Light podcast: "The big difference with him is his athleticism. Trent can give you the [gap] and then take it away. You think it's wide open, and the next thing you know, he's… pic.twitter.com/D0KqKiD3fL
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) July 2, 2024
Given the level of scouting (and self-scouting) Mafe has been doing, the experience that gives him on the field, and how he could factor in to Macdonald’s multi-faceted defense, it’s fair to expect a huge season in Mafe’s Year 3.