Atonio Mafi

Atonio Mafi (born October 20, 2000) is an American football guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCLA and was selected in the fifth round (144th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Patriots.

Atonio Mafi
No. 68 – New England Patriots
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born: (2000-10-20) October 20, 2000
Shoreview, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:329 lb (149 kg)
Career information
High school:Junípero Serra (San Mateo, California)
College:UCLA (2018–2022)
NFL Draft:2023 / Round: 5 / Pick: 144
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2023
Games played:4
Games started:2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life

Mafi was born on October 20, 2000, and is of Tongan descent.[1][2] He grew up playing rugby before later switching to football.[3] He attended Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California, and played football on both sides of the ball, being ranked a three-star prospect and a top-130 player in California, according to ESPN.[4] He was named Central Coast Section Co-Offensive Player of the Year, WCAL most valuable player, and first-team All-CIF, eventually committing to play college football at UCLA after flipping from California.[4][5]

College career

Recruited to UCLA to play on the defensive line, Mafi was measured at 411 pounds when he first entered the school.[6] He had a jersey sized XXXXL, a size 50 waist, and 40% body fat.[6] One of his favorite meals at the time consisted of five beef patties with cheese, a double order of fries and a milkshake, which totaled 177 grams of fat and 3,240 calories, over 150% the daily recommended intake.[6] He was told he needed to lose weight to have a chance to play, and was able to drop to 390 by the time the season started.[6] Mafi won the starting job and was the only true freshman starting on the defensive line.[6] He appeared in 12 games on the year, starting nine, and recorded 16 tackles at nose tackle.[7]

Mafi slimmed down to 357 by the beginning of the 2019 season, and posted 28 tackles, including four TFLs, one sack and one forced fumble while appearing in 12 games, five of which he started.[6][7] He moved to the offensive line in 2020 and saw limited action in seven games as a reserve.[6][7] The following year, Mafi played 12 games, three as a starter.[7]

As Mafi entered his final year in 2022, he weighed at 377 pounds.[6] He was told he again needed to lose weight, with his coach saying, "If you lose the weight, you'll have a shot."[6] Mafi went on a diet and exercise plan and was eventually able to go down to 340 by the time the season started.[6] He ended up starting all 13 games and was named second-team all-conference in the Pac-12.[7] He finished his stint at UCLA with 56 games played, tying the school record.[8]

Professional career

New England Patriots
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightBench press
6 ft 2+3⁄4 in
(1.90 m)		 338 lb
(153 kg)		 21 reps
Sources:[9][10]

Prior to the 2023 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Times published a weekly diary written by Mafi.[11] Projected as going between the fourth and sixth rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft, he was eventually chosen by the New England Patriots with the 144th pick in the fifth round.[12][13]

References
  1. "NFL Draft Profile: Atonio Mafi, Interior Offensive Linemen UCLA Bruins". Sports Illustrated. December 8, 2022.
  2. Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (September 4, 2019). "UCLA nose tackle Atonio Mafi represents Tongan culture with pride". Los Angeles Daily News.
  3. Heath, Jon (April 12, 2023). "Broncos had a virtual pre-draft visit with OL Atonio Mafi". USA Today.
  4. "Atonio Mafi". UCLA Bruins.
  5. Piechowski, Joe (December 20, 2017). "UCLA Football Recruiting: New DC Azzinaro Flips 3-Star DT Atonio Mafi From UC Berkeley to the Bruins". BruinsNation.com.
  6. Bolch, Ben (August 28, 2022). "A leaner, meaner Mafi aims for a shot". Los Angeles Times. p. D1, D7 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. Connon, Sam (April 26, 2023). "NFL Draft Preview 2023: UCLA Football Offensive Guard Atonio Mafi". Sports Illustrated.
  8. Kruse, Zach (April 13, 2023). "Packers host UCLA OL Atonio Mafi on official pre-draft visit". USA Today.
  9. "Patriots select Atonio Mafi with No. 144 pick in 2023 draft". NFL.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  10. "2023 NFL Draft Scout Atonio Mafi College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  11. See the following: February 1, February 8, February 15, February 22, March 1, March 14, March 22, March 29, April 5, April 12, April 19 and April 26.
  12. Alvarado, Jairo (March 27, 2023). "Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: G Atonio Mafi, UCLA". Sports Illustrated.
  13. Buchmasser, Bernd (April 29, 2023). "NFL Draft results 2023: Patriots select UCLA guard Atonio Mafi with the 144th overall pick". PatsPulpit.com.
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