The New York Jets hosted Texas defensive back Andrew Mukuba for a top-30 visit, per NFL Insider Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda.
“Andrew Mukuba, the middle child of seven (four brothers, two sisters), was born and raised in Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare. The family didn’t always have full access to modern amenities, such as electricity and running water. At age 8, Mukuba’s parents, who are originally from Congo, moved the family to Austin, Texas, in 2012. Mukuba took English classes in Africa, but he faced challenges from a language barrier as he adapted to life in the United States (he speaks Swahili to his parents),” Dane Brugler of The Athletic revealed in “The Beast.”
The Jets Need Another Safety and Mukuba Could Fit the Bill
Mukuba, 22, was graded as a third to fourth round pick by Brugler in “The Beast.”
The Jets hold two picks in that range: No. 73 overall (third round) and No. 110 overall (fourth round).
Mukuba played four years of college football. The first three seasons were spent at Clemson, and this past season was spent at Texas. He has appeared in 50 total games and stuffed the stat sheet. Mukuba finished with six interceptions, 23 pass deflections, nine tackles for loss, and totaled 212 tackles.
Brugler said during Mukuba’s time at Clemson, he was viewed as a “borderline draft pick” but saw a massive draft stock boost during his final collegiate season at Texas. “Played the best ball of his career,” Brugler added.
This offseason, the Jets signed veteran Andre Cisco to a one-year deal with a maximum value of $10 million. That move fills one of the holes at a starting safety spot, leaving one more up for grabs.
Polarizing Prospect Among Draft Analysts
Brugler has Mukuba ranked as the No. 7 best safety in this draft class. The talented Texas defender got knocked mostly for his size.
“Undersized and has [the] body type of a cornerback, including short arms and small hands. Flies downhill and delivers blows, but lacks [the] desired mass for violent collisions versus NFL size. Lack of size also shows in coverage when shielded from [the] catch point,” Brugler explained.
However, A to Z NFL draft analyst Ryan Roberts joined me on Thursday, April 10, on “Boy Green Meets Wudi” and explained why he feels differently.
“I love Mukuba. He is safety [No.] three in this class, in my opinion. For me, it’s [Malaki] Starks, [Nick] Emmanwori, & then I think it’s Andrew Mukuba. I know some people will have Xavier Watts, Billy Bowman, it just depends on your flavor,” Roberts told me. “I always thought he was a really smooth coverage player, [who] can make a lot of plays from depth. At Texas, I don’t know what happened [but] he went from an average run defender at Clemson to a dog out of nowhere.”
Jets Speaking With Promising Prospect Who Has Zimbabwe Roots