2024 NFL Draft Summer Spotlight: Clemson S Andrew Mukuba

The next stop on our 2024 Summer Spotlight series brings us to a safety down in South Carolina. Safety is a position that will be a need for the Buffalo Bills sooner rather than later with Micah Hyde a pending unrestricted free agent in 2024 and coming off of surgery to repair a herniated disc. A 33-year old Jordan Poyer will be playing out the final year of the two-year contract that he signed this offseason. With these two veterans on the brink of stepping out of the door, the Bills do need to address the group. A young rookie could be an option.

Clemson rising junior safety Andrew Mukuba could be a name in the mix as an early round safety for the Bills to target in the 2024 NFL Draft. A former four-star recruit out of Texas, Mukuba already has 21 starts under his belt before his junior season and will be looking to establish himself as a top-100 draft prospect over the course of the 2023 season.

To see what Mukuba could be at the next level, we dove into two games of All-22 film from the 2022 season for Mukuba — Notre Dame and Tennessee. Based on the film, here’s what I learned about Mukuba’s game.

Andrew Mukuba Scouting Report

Mukuba has been an “All-Tool Belt” team player in Dabo Swinney’s Clemson defense each of the past two seasons. Aligning from all over the back end of the defense, Mukuba won’t scare anyone with his size profile. But he does boast very nice ball skills and the athleticism to be sticky on smaller slot receivers.

Measurables: 6’0”, 185 pounds

Positives

• Aligns as a post safety, in the slot, and in half alignments on the Tigers’ defense
• Trusted to start as a true freshman early and often on a talent-rich roster
• Could be dominant slot defender in the NFL with very good click-to-close ability in short areas
• Plays through the catch point nicely despite smaller frame
• Stopping power as a hitter shows up at times

Negatives

• Small in stature across the board; thin frame, short arms, short in height; 6’0” listing is generous to say the least
• Tackling could be an issue in the NFL as he’s too often bulldozed to the ground
• Not a player who will consistently stick his face in the fan to make a tackle in a pile-up
• Some question about long speed; wasn’t tasked with chasing many receivers deep
• May be a slot-only defender in the NFL

Why Andrew Mukuba Fits the Bills

Mukuba is a young and talented player with a whole lot of trust from Dabo Swinney’s staff at Clemson to get the job done since he was a true freshman. The issues with Mukuba’s game mostly concern his size limitations. As a coverage player, it’s easy to be encouraged by the ease of movement in the short areas. But, as a tackler, there’s some reason to be concerned about how well he can wrestle players efficiently down to the ground in the NFL. It’s likely that Mukuba will have another productive year at Clemson, but the size issues could push him down the board. I think it’s very possible Mukuba is a slot-only defender acting as a pseudo-cornerback at the next level, which doesn’t necessarily align with what the Bills need at the safety spot. Mukuba’s 2023 season will be his opportunity to prove us wrong on whether he’s a fit in Buffalo.