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Friday Round-Up: Boye Mafe Named Seahawks' 'Secret Superstar' By Pro Football Focus

Thomas Valentine of Pro Football Focus evaluates every roster for the player deserving of more attention, selecting second-year linebacker Boye Mafe for the Seahawks.

Jan 26, 2024 at 11:26 AM

Maliik Obee

Seahawks.com Contributor

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Good morning, 12s. Here's a look at what's out there today — Friday, January 26— about your Seattle Seahawks.

After setting a new franchise record for consecutive sacks in a season, linebacker Boye Mafe is named Seattle's "Secret Superstar" by PFF.

Year 2 for Boye Mafe will go down in the franchise history books, with the second-year outside linebacker tripling his production from 3.0 sacks as a rookie to 9.0 in 2023. In Pro Football Focus' latest ranking of underappreciated talent across the league, writer Thomas Valentine breaks down why Mafe is a "secret superstar" for Seattle that the league should take note of.

Lucky number seven. 🎰 @boye_mafe pic.twitter.com/MkbD6amjch
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 24, 2024

The University of Minnesota alum flashed plenty of potential in Year 1, combining for 41 tackles, 3.0 sacks, three tackles for loss and four quarterback hits. Seattle tied for No. 9 league-wide in sacks (46) in 2023, with Mafe playing a huge role, after earning his keep as a starter. Mafe started 16 games for the 9-8 Seahawks, setting new career-highs across several statistical categories. On the year, Mafe combined for 51 tackles, 9.0 sacks, nine tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, six passes defensed, one forced fumble and two recoveries. Not only did Mafe show substantial growth in his sophomore campaign, but he recorded a sack in seven-consecutive games between Weeks 3-9, setting a new franchise record.

.@Seahawks @boye_mafe is on a streak that not many pass rushers ever achieve….a sack in 7 straight games. Nothing beats watching young players develop #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/Hz9rfhGV46
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) November 18, 2023

Mafe recorded a sack in Week 3's 27-7 home win over the Carolina Panthers and continued his streak through Week 9 against the Washington Commanders. In that span, the Seahawks would go 5-2. Per ESPN's Next Gen Analytics, Mafe finished the year with 49 wins off the edge on pass rush downs (19%), while facing a double-team on 12 percent of pass downs. Valentine breaks down why Mafe is a superstar in the making for the Seahawks.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: EDGE BOYE MAFE

The Seahawks have been waiting for an edge rusher to appear for some time now, and they may finally have their answer in Boye Mafe. The former second-round pick notched nine sacks and 58 pressures in his second season in the NFL and became a real problem for opposing offensive lines.

Mafe's pressure rate was 38th among all edge rushers in the NFL, but his improvement from just a year before was vast. The sky's the limit for the excellent edge rusher.

The 25-year-old put the league on notice in 2023, just falling short of the first double-digit sack year of his career. After proving he could consistently bring down the quarterback in Year 2, eyes will be on Mafe to see just how big of a leap he'll take in 2024.

Social Post Of The Day

Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner joins NFL Total Access to discuss being Seattle's 2023 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Nominee and to shed light on the Phenia Mae Fund.

After losing his late mother to a stroke, Bobby Wagner established the Phenia Mae Fund to support stroke awareness and education. @Bwagz efforts to give back has recognized him as the Seahawks #WPMOY ❤️

(via @NFLTotalAccess) pic.twitter.com/9yVT3ypDFA
— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2024

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