Mase Funa 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

• Three-year contributor 

• Second-Team Freshman All-American
• Consensus four-star recruit

System: 

• Scheme tendencies: Hybrid scheme with plenty of odd and even fronts
• 2022 projected role: A role player who has the versatility to play on the edge or off the ball as a stack backer

Pros: Mase Funa has been a productive player for the Ducks’ defense ever since he walked on campus back in 2019 and earned freshman All-American honors as a true freshman. Funa offers very good size for an outside linebacker and flashes good instincts and awareness. A highly-versatile athlete, Funa aligns as an outside linebacker off the ball for the Ducks but then also will align on the edge as a traditional edge defender. As an off-ball backer, Funa displays good read-and-react ability and good short-area quickness to trigger downhill. He is a good tackler and delivers good strikes upon contact. He is a heavy-handed defender with the ability to shock and shed and get off blocks in the box. He shows good awareness in zone coverage and gets good depth in his zone drops. As an edge defender, Funa displays average burst off the line but consistently delivers good contact at the point of attack. He is a powerful defender with good lower-body strength to get up and under offensive linemen and drive them back into the pocket. He’s a relentless player who plays with high energy every snap.

Cons: Mase Funa is a classic tweener who does everything well but nothing great. He lacks the necessary athleticism and fluidity to excel playing off the ball and in space. He lacks the speed to play sideline to sideline and is stiff in his lower half and struggles to change directions. He struggles in coverage when in man assignments as he lacks the movement skills and length to clever tight ends. As a pass rusher, he is just one-dimensional and only wins with power and effort. He lacks the speed and quickness off the edge and cannot bend the edge smoothly. At the next level, he is a tough projection as there just simply isn’t a perfect home for his skill set but I do like his versatility and the effort with which he plays.

Mase Funa NFL Draft Scouting Report by Brentley Weissman