One of New England’s biggest problems last season was all the issues they had up front along the offensive line, and they appear to be focused on ensuring it’s not as big of a problem in 2023.<\/p>\n
The New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> drafted another lineman with the 144th overall pick in Round 5 on Saturday, selecting UCLA’s Atonio Mafi with the pick they had just earlier acquired in a trade with the Raiders.\u00a0 That selection traded them out of the final spot in round 4 at #135, with the Patriots adding their pick at #144, as well as giving them an additional sixth-round pick at #214.<\/p>\n Mafi is a big, powerful guy, which sticks to the theme that the Patriots seemed to be focused on given their earlier selections of Jake Andrews<\/strong><\/a> and\u00a0Sidy Sow<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 At 6’3″, 338 pounds, he’s massive and he’s the first player to be drafted by New England as someone they worked with earlier this offseason during the Shrine Bowl.<\/p>\n Looking at the film, he’s just a ridiculously strong player.\u00a0 Despite his size, he’s really smooth with his feet, and well-balanced.\u00a0 At the same time, he literally knocks guys to the ground on contact.\u00a0 He’s also surprisingly quick, getting down the line and completely burying opponents.<\/p>\n His selection is certainly a big one beyond just what he does on the field.\u00a0 Leading up to the draft, Mafi wrote in a pre-draft diary for the L.A. Times that his goal was to make it to the NFL and to finally make his mother’s life a little easier.\u00a0 In his latest entry<\/strong><\/a>, the two exchanged texts and after his mom having just finished working a six-day workweek, Mafi told her, “We’re almost there,” letting her know that, “Soon, you won’t have to do that anymore.”<\/p>\n Definitely makes him a fun guy to root for.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, if you haven’t seen him play, here’s a quick look:<\/p>\n