Atonio Mafi (born October 20, 2000) is an American professional football guard for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was selected in the fifth round (144th overall) of the 2023 NFL draft by the New England Patriots.
| No. 65 – Indianapolis Colts | |||||||
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| Position: | Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | October 20, 2000 San Mateo, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 330 lb (150 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Junípero Serra (San Mateo, California) | ||||||
| College: | UCLA (2018–2022) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2023 / round: 5 / pick: 144 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Practice squad | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||
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Early years
editMafi 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
editRecruited 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
edit| Height | Weight | Bench 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]
New England Patriots
editProjected 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]
Mafi was waived by the Patriots on August 27, 2024.[14]
Indianapolis Colts
editOn August 29, 2024, Mafi was signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad.[15] He was promoted to the active roster on November 30.[16] He was waived on December 23, and re-signed to the practice squad.
References
edit- ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Atonio Mafi, Interior Offensive Linemen UCLA Bruins". Sports Illustrated. December 8, 2022. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (September 4, 2019). "UCLA nose tackle Atonio Mafi represents Tongan culture with pride". Los Angeles Daily News.
- ^ Heath, Jon (April 12, 2023). "Broncos had a virtual pre-draft visit with OL Atonio Mafi". USA Today.
- ^ a b "Atonio Mafi". UCLA Bruins. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bolch, Ben (August 28, 2022). "A leaner, meaner Mafi aims for a shot". Los Angeles Times. p. D1, D7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e Connon, Sam (April 26, 2023). "NFL Draft Preview 2023: UCLA Football Offensive Guard Atonio Mafi". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Kruse, Zach (April 13, 2023). "Packers host UCLA OL Atonio Mafi on official pre-draft visit". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ "Patriots select Atonio Mafi with No. 144 pick in 2023 draft". NFL.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Atonio Mafi College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ See the following: February 1 Archived April 27, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, February 8, February 15 Archived February 16, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, February 22 Archived April 27, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, March 1 Archived April 27, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, March 14 Archived April 27, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, March 22 Archived April 27, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, March 29, April 5, April 12 Archived April 27, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, April 19 Archived April 27, 2023, at the Wayback Machine and April 26.
- ^ Alvarado, Jairo (March 27, 2023). "Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: G Atonio Mafi, UCLA". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Buchmasser, Bernd (April 29, 2023). "NFL Draft results 2023: Patriots select UCLA guard Atonio Mafi with the 144th overall pick". PatsPulpit.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ "Patriots Make Roster Moves to Reach the 53-Man Roster Limit". Patriots.com. August 27, 2024.
- ^ "Colts sign 4 players to practice squad". Colts.com. August 29, 2024.
- ^ "Colts sign G Atonio Mafi to 53-man roster from practice squad, waive LB Liam Anderson; elevate G Mark Glowinski, WR Laquon Treadwell to active roster from practice squad for Week 13". Colts.com. November 30, 2024.
