NFL Draft prospect profile: Marte Mapu -

Measurements & Combine Results

40-Yard Dash	10-YardDash	Vertical Jump	Broad Jump	3 – Cone Drill	Height	Weight	Wingspan	Hand Size
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	6’3”	221	78 3/4	9 3/8

Overview

Mapu played football at Hawthorne High School in California before attending Sacramento State in 2017 where he redshirted his first year. He played in a total of 16 games over his first two years in college, recording 24 tackles, one interception, and two starts. In 2021*, he earned second-team All-Big Sky Conference honors after leading the Hornets with four interceptions and 10 pass breakups in 12 starts. In 2022, he was named the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team Associated Press FCS All-American after an impressive season with 76 tackles, 6.5 for loss, two interceptions, four pass breakups, and one blocked kick in 13 starts.

*The team did not play in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns

Mapu, a top-30 pre-draft visit for the Bills, has experience playing outside linebacker, safety, slot and special teams. He is typically positioned inside the box where he can fully utilize his abilities. As a good-sized athlete, he has exceptional diagnostic skills to quickly read pass-run and swarm to the play. With his ability to function as both a linebacker or “big” safety, he can adapt to various schemes and has the potential to be a core special-teamer.

Incredible play in coverage from @SacHornetsFB Marte Mapu! Closing out Senior Bowl practice in style 💪 pic.twitter.com/G0gJt8SoBU
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) January 31, 2023

Strenghs

Great physicality.
Great ability to stays patient and balanced at the top of routes to smoothly read and react with backs and tight ends.

Swiss army knife. He can play strong safety, big nickel, and weakside linebacker. He can take different looks all over a defense.

Smart and instictive to understand depth in zone to float and find passing/running trends.

Marte Mapu (Sacramento State) is one of my favorite day three players in this class. Spent time in college as a linebacker, strong safety, and nickel corner. Also over 200 special teams snaps the last two seasons (plus a blocked kick).

He is the next E.J Speed in the NFL pic.twitter.com/dKGtasdE87
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) April 4, 2023

Weakness

He is currently 24 years old (6th-year senior) and is recovering from a torn right pectoral muscle.
Allows blockers to get into his frame in the box.
He doesn’t have the quick twitch traits to easily recover after a false step.
His speed is rated as below average, which raises concerns about his ability to match up against NFL slot receivers, particularly in man-to-man coverage. In this scenario, there are concerns about his limited experience in facing FBS receivers.

Draft Projection

Mapu is projected as a day three pick in this year’s NFL Draft (rounds 4-7). Given his diverse skillset, he would most likely translate to an outside linebacker at the next level. One thing for certain is that he can play special teams right away.