Dallas Cowboys select Phil Mafah in seventh round of 2025 NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys selected Clemson running back Phil Mafah in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. They took him with the No. 239 overall pick.

Mafah spent four seasons with the Tigers, getting progressively better with each year on campus. By the time he finished, he was a 1,000-yard rusher.

In 2024, Phil Mafah’s senior year, he rushed 216 times for 1,115 yards and eight touchdowns. The carry and yardage totals were both career highs.

Mafah actually found the end zone more the year prior, scoring 13 times. He ran for 965 yards then, just missing out on the 1,000-yard mark.

In total, Phil Mafah ran for 2,887 yards and 28 touchdowns during his time at Clemson. He also developed as a pass-catcher over time, catching 58 passes for 309 yards with the Tigers.

Prior to enrolling at Clemson, Phil Mafah was ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 172 overall player in the country in the 2021 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He also checked in as the No. 11 running back in the class and the No. 17 overall player from the state of Georgia, hailing from Loganville (GA) Grayson.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Phil Mafah

Given that there was a good deal on tape from Mafah prior to the draft, teams had a pretty good idea what they were getting. First and foremost, that’s a hard runner.

Mafah knew how to get behind his pads and find space. Writes NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein in evaluating Phil Mafah as a prospect:

“Mafah runs hard and keeps the carry on track. He is big and tight-hipped with a linear running style that gathers momentum as the run proceeds.

“He’s tough but clunky as an interior runner with a lack of vision and wiggle to find additional yards if there isn’t a wide-open lane. Mafah might need to prove himself on special teams to offer enough roster flexibility to make it as an RB3.”