Here’s a curve ball to help close out the 2025 NFL draft. The New Orleans Saints selected former UCLA Bruins tight end Moliki Matavao in the seventh round at No. 248 overall, adding a big blocker with some underrated receiving ability. Some experts projected Matavao to be a fifth-round pick, so this is another example of the Saints looking for value in this year’s draft class.
Matavao, 22, grew up in the Las Vegas area and was rated as a four-star recruit coming out of high school. At one point he was the top-rated recruit in all of Nevada. He initially committed to Oregon and spent his first two years in college there before transferring to UCLA for his last two seasons. All told, he appeared in 50 games at the college level.
He’s regarded as a high-end blocker thanks to his experience and size; Matavao weighed in at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, giving him an advantage over smaller defenders. He’s still working on using that size in receiving situations, having totaled 74 receptions for 998 yards and 6 touchdowns through four years in college. But he broke out last year and led UCLA in receiving, and his arrow is trending up.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Saints pick UCLA breakout tight end Moliki Matavao
Here’s a curve ball to help close out the 2025 NFL draft. The New Orleans Saints selected former UCLA Bruins tight end Moliki Matavao in the seventh round at No. 248 overall, adding a big blocker with some underrated receiving ability. Some experts projected Matavao to be a fifth-round pick, so this is another example of the Saints looking for value in this year’s draft class.
Matavao, 22, grew up in the Las Vegas area and was rated as a four-star recruit coming out of high school. At one point he was the top-rated recruit in all of Nevada. He initially committed to Oregon and spent his first two years in college there before transferring to UCLA for his last two seasons. All told, he appeared in 50 games at the college level.
He’s regarded as a high-end blocker thanks to his experience and size; Matavao weighed in at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, giving him an advantage over smaller defenders. He’s still working on using that size in receiving situations, having totaled 74 receptions for 998 yards and 6 touchdowns through four years in college. But he broke out last year and led UCLA in receiving, and his arrow is trending up.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Saints pick UCLA breakout tight end Moliki Matavao
