The Seahawks entered the 2022 NFL Draft needing help at pass rush, and they addressed that with the first of their two second-round picks, taking Minnesota defensive end Boye Mafe with the 40th pick.

Draft Reaction: Seahawks insiders break down each of the Day 2 picks

Mafe, 23, was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2021 and had a great showing at both the NFL Scouting Combine and Senior Bowl.

Mafe recorded 15 career sacks in 31 games for the Golden Gophers, including a career-high seven in 2021. He also recorded 19.5 career tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.

.@NFL QB's better watch their backs when @boye_mafe is on defense. 👀

The @GopherFootball star DL is going to be a problem, just like he was in the Big Ten.

Check out his career highlights. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/C9msv5cj5B

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) December 28, 2021

At the combine, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound edge rusher measured in with 32 and 5/8-inch arms and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds, which ranked fourth among all defensive linemen at the event. He also jumped 41.5 inches in the vertical leap and broad jumped 10 feet, 5 inches.

.@GopherFootball LB @boye_mafe just ran a 4.57u at 261 lbs. 👀

📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/QW4QuMsgwM

— NFL (@NFL) March 6, 2022

Mafe was also one of the standouts at the Senior Bowl, which is ran by former Seahawks scout Jim Nagy. Mafe was regularly seen as a star of the week during practices, and he earned Player of the Game honors for the National Team as he recorded two sacks, three tackles for loss and forced a fumble.

“Boye Mafe was a guy that came down here to the Senior Bowl from Minnesota. Still a little raw, but Boye had a couple sacks in the game and did a lot of good things during the practice week,” Nagy told Seattle Sports’ Jake and Stacy earlier this week.

Mafe is the second edge rusher the Seahawks have selected in the second round in the last three years, the other being Darrell Taylor, who missed his entire rookie season in 2020 but finished second on the team in sacks in 2021 with 6.5.

“Mafe’s evaluation requires the evaluator to focus more closely on the flashes than just the play-to-play action,” NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “… He has the traits and toughness to develop into an above-average starter as a 4-3 base end.”

More Seahawks draft selections

• Seattle selects Mississippi State OT Charles Cross at No. 9 overall
• Hawks draft Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker at 41
• Seahawks take standout WSU OT Abraham Lucas in third round
• Seahawks add to secondary in fourth with Cincy CB Coby Bryant
• Seattle nabs long, speedy UTSA CB Tariq Woolen in fifth round
• Hawks pick Ohio State edge rusher Tyreke Smith in fifth
• Hawks end draft with 2 WRs in Rutgers’ Melton, Lenoir-Rhyne’s Young

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