Former Clemson running back Phil Mafah admits that some doubt crept into his mind on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft, as it turned over into the seventh and final round, and he still had yet to hear his name called.
“I was having some doubt, for sure, just having that in the back of my head of going undrafted, just preparing for that,” Mafah said on The Draft Show and 105.3 The Fan.
Fortunately for Mafah, he ultimately didn’t have to worry about that.
The 2024 All-ACC selection finally came off the board in the seventh round when the Dallas Cowboys took him with the No. 239 overall pick.
It was a lengthy wait for Mafah to get drafted, but it was worth the wait as he feels he landed in “a perfect place.”
“Just for the Cowboys to be able to take a chance on me at the last minute meant a lot to me, and I feel like it’s a perfect place,” he said.
“I’m excited just to be a part of this organization and for them to take the chance on me,” he added. “I’m excited and ready to get to work.”
Mafah, who spoke with the Cowboys at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, explained what stuck out to him about the organization based on their conversations.
“To me, what stood out first, just knowing it’s America’s Team, just the presence that they have as a team and a program is what stood out to me,” he said. “And just having those conversations, talking about the type of people that they like to draft, the type of people that they wanted to represent their brand and also the type of people that they want to represent the culture.”
As he takes his talents to Dallas and suits up for one of the NFL’s most prominent franchises, Mafah doesn’t think the stage will be too big for him.
As a player who went to Grayson High School, a 7A power in Georgia, before going on to Clemson, Mafah believes he will benefit from his experience playing for big-time programs at both the high school and college levels.
“I can use that experience, just all the things I went through in my football career and in my life, just applying that to the game and all the adversity that you have to go through as a player – through injuries, personal life,” he said. “Just applying all my experiences and going all in into my craft and just giving it my all for the Cowboys.”
A bruising workhorse running back, Mafah earned third-team All-ACC honors as a graduate senior in 2024, when he rushed 216 times for 1,115 yards with eight touchdowns and caught 21 passes for 103 yards over 14 games (all starts).
The 6-foot-1, 234-pounder was hampered all year by a shoulder injury but still recorded the 24th 1,000-yard rushing season in Clemson history, and his 1,115 yards ranked 14th in a season in school history. He posted 981 rushing yards and eight touchdowns over the Tigers’ first nine games of the season before being severely limited down the stretch.
Mafah finished his Clemson career with 561 carries for 2,887 yards and 28 touchdowns, as well as 58 receptions for 309 yards over 50 games (21 starts) from 2021-24. He finished his career ranked ninth in Clemson history in career rushing yards and tied for 10th in career rushing touchdowns.
Mafah discussed the running style he’ll bring to Dallas, as well as a common misconception about his game.
“I would say a powerful back who likes to make guys miss any way possible – whether it’s running through them, jumping over them, juking them out. I just love to play with physicality and I love to show others that I can also be nimble at the same time,” he said.
“I think the common misconception is that I’m just a big power back and I’m just that type of back. But I feel like a lot of people missed – especially this past season, me having the injury early on in the season, lingering on throughout the season. But just for the Cowboys to be able to believe in me gives me a lot of confidence to want to continue to put my best foot forward.”