The Bucs have hosted several players in Tampa during this draft season as reports of visits continue to come in. This next meeting, however, was slightly different as it was done virtually. According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Bucs had a virtual meeting with Clemson running back Phil Mafah.

Tampa Bay wasn’t the only team to meet with him virtually as Seahawks, Cardinals, Browns, Broncos and Cowboys did as well. This is the first running back that the Bucs have spoken to during these visits. They did not speak to Mafah at the NFL Scouting Combine. Tampa Bay also didn’t have any formal interviews with running backs either, but did talk to six different running backs informally.

Phil Mafah’s College Career And Bucs’ RB Outlook

Phil Mafah spent four years at Clemson, rushing for 2,887 yards in 50 games with 28 rushing touchdowns. His best year came last season where he rushed 216 times for 1,115 yards and eight scores. This earned him third-team All-ACC honors as he led the Tigers in rushing, starting all 14 games.

Clemson RB Phil Mafah – Photo by: USA Today

Mafah is considered a straight-line runner with a physical nature to his game. He has the right body frame to be a running back in the NFL, but lacks ideal speed and he needs to run with better pad level. Yet Mafah can be solid backup starting out as a rookie at the next level. He is projected to be as high as a sixth-round pick in this upcoming draft, but could also go undrafted due to the fact that he suffered a shoulder injury that prevented him from doing any athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine or the Clemson pro day.

Because Mafah is considered to a late Day 3 pick, this meeting with the Bucs could very much be about the team showing interest in him if he were to be an undrafted free agent. Tampa Bay has a great room at the running back position with Bucky Irving having a sensational rookie year rushing for 1,155 yards in 2024, plus a good backup and third-down player in Rachaad White in addition to third-year player Sean Tucker, who proved he can take over in a game if need be.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

Tampa Bay also has second-year player D.J. Williams that will compete for another spot on the practice squad in 2025. He had some solid moments in the preseason and will look to improve this year.

Irving became the starting running back during the middle of the 2024 season and will start from the beginning this year. White is entering the final year of his contract, so there’s no guarantee he’s back in Tampa Bay in 2026. The Bucs could opt to address that depth by bringing in another back this year or they could do it next year after addressing other areas of the team. Having Mafah would keep their depth in a good situation moving forward.