Once viewed as a rising star on the college football stage, where does former Clemson Tigers and new Texas Longhorns defensive back Andrew Mukuba rank in the 2025 NFL Draft with his scouting report? Mukuba regressed slightly in 2023 — but he still has the tools to be a coveted prospect.
Andrew Mukuba’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’0″
- Weight: 186 pounds
- Position: Defensive Back
- School: Texas
- Current Year: Senior
Mukuba was born in Zimbabwe to parents who had traveled there as refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He came to America when he was nine, and his mother raised him as a single parent.
The transition from such a move was difficult, but Mukuba’s love for football helped weather the waters. He’d watched the sport since he was little, and in sixth grade, he started playing Little League. From there, he was hooked, and he played into high school.
Playing in Austin, Texas, Mukuba soon realized football could be a long-term option for him. He was a gifted two-way athlete who played both wide receiver and defensive back, and he signed with Clemson as a four-star recruit, joining up with then-defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
Right away in his collegiate career, Mukuba showed off his quick learning ability and easy integration skills. As a true freshman, he logged 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, and seven pass breakups, earning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Over the next two seasons, Mukuba would remain productive, filling a role as one of the Tigers’ most versatile defenders. In 2024, he’ll suit up for the Longhorns, where he has a chance to compete for national glory — and early-round draft capital.
Mukuba’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Hyper-elite explosive presence with rapid foot speed and brisk closing acceleration.
- Shows off absurd hip fluidity and hinge freedom as a mover and has rare recovery.
- Elastic athlete who can open and retract his strides with rare quickness and control.
- Elite inherent flexibility allows him to sink and sustain speed at an extremely high level.
- Can play single-high, two-high, a variety of intermediate zones, or man up in the slot.
- Matches WRs through double-moves with lightning-quick reactionary foot speed.
- Has an eye-catching range from single-high and can erase gaps with elongated strides.
- Responds to stimulus almost instantly in man and is extremely adaptable in zone looks.
- Flashes good hip leverage IQ and instincts in zone, and can align to routes effectively.
- Shows glimpses of good active communication, passing off receivers and carrying verticals.
- Can mirror WR releases with fast feet and discipline, then turn and carry upfield.
- Flashes biting physicality downhill and can use jams to delay WRs in man coverage.
- Proficient at using his hyperactive short-area athleticism to break down ahead of tackles.
- Can use throttle adjustments to sift through crowds and flow to ball carriers in support.
- Shows flashes of exceptional coordination and flexibility extending beyond his frame.
Weaknesses
- Lean athlete with average stature and length overall, who has below-average mass.
- Sometimes vacates intermediate zones too quickly when QBs eye the vertical plane.
- At times, plays with angles a bit too wide on crossing routes, failing to crowd receivers.
- Despite flashes of hip leverage IQ, can be more consistent with angles and positioning.
- Can better key in on the hips to react more quickly to route breaks back toward the ball.
- Can be easily rerouted by bigger, more physical receivers at second-level route stems.
- Is sometimes a bit too passive with body positioning in contested situations.
- Can make a more concerted effort to wrap around WRs and play throws with precision.
- Sometimes fails to get his head around quickly enough in contested situations.
- Despite willing physicality, lacking mass can make application of physicality inconsistent.
- Can be outmuscled by blocking receivers in space, failing to establish half-man relationships.
- Doesn’t always have the strength to finish solo tackles and sometimes whiffs in space.
- Will turn 23 years old late in his first NFL season.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, Mukuba grades out as a top-64 prospect who could challenge for early-round capital later on in the cycle. He’s not in the mix for the top safety spots, but he’s one of the more experienced and versatile defensive backs in the class, and there’s upside left to unearth.
At times, Mukuba had first-round hype ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft cycle, but an up-and-down 2023 season cast the microscope on some of his bigger flaws. Nevertheless, he remains a compelling prospect, with the tools to have a role in a modern NFL defense.
Mukuba’s brand of mobility is the bedrock of his game. He’s an instant accelerator with imposing range and has hyper-elite hinge fluidity, sink, and agility as a cover man in space. He also has the foot speed and ease of transition to play man coverage in the slot.
In zone coverage, Mukuba can shift from vertical outside leverage to inside leverage effortlessly, undergoing upwards of 270-degree transitions while maintaining his pacing and speed. His mix of fluidity, explosiveness, foot speed, and deceleration capacity is a foundation for an all-encompassing coverage framework.
Mukuba also has good processing ability, which lends him the versatility to play just about anywhere on the back end. That said, his leverage IQ can still improve, and being just 186 pounds, his finishing ability — both at the catch point and in support — leaves more to be desired at times.
If Mukuba’s future is at safety in the NFL, he’ll have to improve his leverage awareness, catch-point positioning, and ball-tracking skills. If his future is as a primary nickel defender, he’ll have to add more mass to his frame to better match up against physicality in man coverage.
Having said all this, the fact that Mukuba can play either of these roles at a potentially high level is inspiring. With his hyper-elite mobility profile, he has the top-end potential to be a true chess piece in the secondary — if he can keep building on his game.