Andrew Mukuba, Texas: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Mukuba was a four-star recruit from LBJ Early College High School in Austin, Texas in the class of 2021
Texas Longhorns safety Andrew Mukuba reinvented himself once he transferred from Clemson. The former Freshman All-American had his best season, showcasing his ball-hawking ability and improvements in run defense. Mukuba is undersized but should still be selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Andrew Mukuba, S Texas: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Senior safety from Austin, Texas
Background: Mukuba was a four-star recruit from LBJ Early College High School in Austin, Texas in the class of 2021. He was the No. 167 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 211 for Rivals, and No. 123 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 154th in the nation with an 83 grade out of 100. He transferred from Clemson to Texas for the 2024 season. As a high school senior, Mukuba was the District Offensive Player of the Year. He amassed 27 receptions for 427 yards and six touchdowns in addition to 20 carries for 173 yards and two scores. Mukuba tallied 60 tackles, six interceptions, and four forced fumbles on defense that year. In 2019, he was the District 12-5A Newcomer of the Year in Texas when he caught 32 passes for 635 yards and 12 touchdowns on offense and recorded 80 tackles, five interceptions, and three forced fumbles on defense. Mukuba also scored twice on kick returns and earned All-State honors as a receiver. He also lettered on the track and field team, running an 11.48 100-meter dash and 22.64 200-meter dash. Mukuba also competed in the long and triple jumps. He was born on Dec. 7, 2002 in Zimbabwe and immigrated to the United States when he was nine years old.
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed two games with a dislocated elbow and battled a knee injury in 2022, missed Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic games in 2023 with a lower body injury, suffered an MCL sprain against Georgia (2024) and missed the Vanderbilt game the following week
Awards: 2021 Third Team All-ACC, 2021 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, 2021 Freshman All-American (FWAA), 2022 Honorable Mention All-ACC, 2023 Honorable Mention All-ACC, 2024 Third Team All-SEC
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, significant experience operating in the slot, fluid mover and loose athlete with ideal COD, good speed, good vertical, covers ground quickly with impressive range, great vision and awareness over MOF, quick recognition and trigger, easy transition into forward drive, instincts and route recognition shined with Texas, steps down to undercut throwing lanes, uses underneath leverage to close throwing lanes up the seam, carries tight ends up the seam, IDs and quickly gets in-phase vs. crossers, quickly closes on receiver at top of stem in off-man, good awareness to monitor threats behind him in zone, allows nothing over his head in single-high, usually stays home on trick run and pass plays, aggressive at the catch point, quick to sniff out and attack screens, began excelling at playing the run from depth in 2024, turns into a human missile, eager to run the alley, hits above his weight, increased physicality in 2024, increased number of explosive hits
Cons: Possible durability concerns, undersized and lean, arm length, speed falls well short of elite, not an NFL slot defender, inconsistent performance in coverage from the slot, struggles to stick to receivers in man coverage at top of the stem, lacks true center fielder range, sometimes moved by the quarterback’s eyes, lacks mass and length for ideal stack and shed, some steep angles coming downhill, flies in at top speed and slides off tackles, limited tackle power from a standstill, missed tackles as last line of defense leads to big plays
Overview: Mukuba primarily played in the slot during his final season at Clemson and spent much of his first two years with the Tigers in that role as well. The Longhorns gave him more opportunities to play at depth. This role allowed his instincts and playmaking to reach their full potential and ascend to a level on par with All-Americans. Last season, Mukuba took snaps in single-high in Cover 1 and Cover 3, two-high for Cover 2, off-man over the slot, and as a hook safety. He gained experience rotating post-snap into closed field looks. Mukuba is an undersized, lean safety with just 30-inch arms. His build and play style as a striker from depth raise concerns about his durability. Fortunately, he’s a fluid, loose athlete with good (but not elite) speed and exceptional change of direction skills. Mukuba’s vision and awareness of action developing in the middle of the field help him recognize routes and quickly trigger. He makes the transition from his backpedal into forward drive look easy. Mukuba triggers and covers ground quickly to undercut throwing lanes. He struggles to stay attached to wide receivers at the top of the stem in man coverage but is perfectly comfortable carrying tight ends up the seam and taking away that area of the field with his leverage. Mukuba flashes his closing burst when triggering on shallow routes from off-man. His awareness and discipline in deep zones, especially single-high looks, stood out. Sadly, Mukuba lacks the ideal range to play centerfield in Cover 1 in the NFL. He sometimes bites on the quarterback’s eye manipulation. The Texas native is aggressive at the catch point, delivering big hits or rising to contend for the ball with his impressive vertical. He sniffs out and blows up screens and schemed touches. Mukuba excels at playing the run from depth. He runs the alley and delivers big hits with impressive striking power. Mukuba makes some nice tackles on the edge as the last line of defense but also slides off a few. He takes steep angles and doesn’t always gather himself for tackle attempts. Mukuba struggles to stack and shed blocks with his limited length and mass. He doesn’t have the size or man coverage skills to play nickel.
Overall, Mukuba was miscast as a nickel at Clemson but thrived at Texas because the Longhorns allowed him to operate at depth. He excels at challenging routes and making run stops when allowed to survey the field. Mukuba is an instinctive, loose playmaker who will earn starting reps in his first two seasons.
Role & Scheme Fit: Free safety in a Cover 2 scheme with Cover 3 opportunities
Round Projection: Third Round
Size: 5'11 1/4", 186 lbs. (NFL Combine)
Submitted: 09-16-24
Updated: 04-12-25