Moliki
Matavao.
Moliki
Matavao.
UCLA· 6'6"· 260 lb· 4.81s 40
"Matavao is the rare late-round tight end whose blocking is already NFL-legal, and the entire projection rests on whether a 6-foot-6 frame that finally produced in 2024 can keep climbing."Pre-draft read
Matavao is a true in-line Y who spent the bulk of his UCLA snaps attached to the tackle, and his best football happens with a hand in the dirt. At 6-6, 260 he plays with a wide base and heavy hands, fits his strike on the play side and sustains through the whistle rather than falling off after contact. He is comfortable in gap and duo concepts and holds up on down blocks against Big Ten five-techniques.
As a receiver he is a big target more than a separator. He builds speed gradually, wins on stem width and box-out leverage in the red zone, and catches cleanly outside his frame. The signature is the combination: a tight end trusted on early downs who is still a legitimate seam and boundary option on play-action.
Gap and duo run game with a heavy play-action package — a 12-personnel offense that asks its Y to block first and win on size second.
Year 1: TE3 and core special-teamer who spells the starter on early downs and short yardage. Ceiling: a TE2 blocking specialist who takes 250-300 snaps and catches 25-30 passes as a play-action and red-zone outlet.
A spread, 11-personnel offense that flexes its tight end into the slot and asks him to win one-on-one against nickel corners — his 4.81 speed and rounded route stems get exposed the moment blocking is not part of the job description.
Best on a team that still runs under center and treats the tight end as an extension of the offensive line.
NFL DRAFT HIGHLIGHTS: TE Moliki Matavao | UCLA Football
UCLA-produced draft reel showing the in-line blocking and red-zone targets.
Moliki Matavao Raw Highlights from UCLA
Unedited all-22 style cutups of his 2024 season with the Bruins.
(TE) Moliki Matavao Highlights | 2025 NFL Draft
Pre-draft evaluation reel focused on hands and contested catches.
Matavao entered the 2025 cycle as a developmental Y whose identity was never in doubt. He is a blocker first, a big-bodied catcher second, and a player whose evaluation hinged almost entirely on production arriving late rather than early.
The path explains the profile. Two quiet years at Oregon behind a crowded room produced 19 catches, and the transfer to UCLA took a season to bear fruit before he led the Bruins with 41 receptions for 506 yards in 2024. That was the first real evidence the pass-game piece was live, and it came alongside blocking tape that was already the most polished part of his game. The flags were speed and separation: a 4.81 forty confirmed what the film suggested, and defenses that pressed him at the line often took away the underneath route entirely.
Boards had him as a late Day 3 flier, a Senior Bowl invite with clear NFL size and a functional floor as a TE3. New Orleans taking him at 248 was a straightforward bet on the blocking holding up long enough for the receiving arc to continue.
- 01
In-line blocking
Already NFL-functional attached to the tackle, with a wide base, heavy hands and the leg drive to sustain through the whistle in gap and duo concepts.
- 02
Catch strength
Snatches the ball outside his frame with strong hands and rarely lets contested throws get into his chest, a reliable target on third down.
- 03
Red-zone frame
At 6-6, 260 he boxes out safeties and linebackers on fades and stick routes, giving an offense a legitimate scoring target inside the ten.
- 04
Production arc
Improved every year of his career and led UCLA with 41 catches for 506 yards in 2024, the sort of late curve that suggests more runway.
- 05
Play temperament
Finishes blocks with intent and plays through contact as a runner, a mentality that shows on special teams and keeps him on a roster.
- 01
Long speed
A 4.81 forty is a real ceiling on the vertical route tree, and he does not threaten safeties down the seam against NFL closing speed.
- 02
Separation
Wins on size and leverage rather than quickness, and physical press corners or long-armed linebackers can stall his release at the line.
- 03
Late production
Only one season of meaningful volume across four college years, which leaves a thin sample for projecting the receiving role forward.
- 04
Route nuance
Stems and breaks are still rounded and telegraphed, and he needs to sharpen his tempo changes to create windows without scheme help.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.81sp50
- Vertical
- 32.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 114inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Oregon | 9 | 9 | 75 | 1 |
| 2022 | Oregon | 7 | 10 | 134 | 1 |
| 2023 | UCLA | 10 | 14 | 283 | 2 |
| 2024 | UCLA | 11 | 41 | 506 | 2 |
| Career | — | 37 | 74 | 998 | 6 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Ethan GarbersQB30%
- Logan LoyaWR12%
- Rico FloresWR9%
#3 of 14 tracked contributors · Produced well above his snap share · Offense explosiveness 1.29 (p64) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Rosterable blocking Y who plays a real special-teams role and catches a handful of passes a year.
The size-and-hands version if the receiving arc from 2024 keeps climbing in the pros.
Practice-squad shuttle who never wins a stable game-day job.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
New Orleans kept Matavao in the building rather than on the field. He spent the bulk of his rookie year on the practice squad, was elevated for a handful of games, and was signed to the active roster on December 26 when Foster Moreau went on injured reserve. He finished 2025 with six games played, two catches for 10 yards, and most of his real value coming on special teams and in the preseason, where he caught four passes for 29 yards.
The 2026 picture got harder before it got easier. The Saints overhauled the room around him, signing Noah Fant and spending a third-round pick on Oscar Delp behind an ascendant Juwan Johnson, which pushes Matavao to the back of a four-deep depth chart. That is the honest reality of a pick at 248: the blocking floor was real enough to keep him employed, but nothing in year one moved the needle on the receiving question that defined his evaluation. Too early to call it either way.