At the time you’re reading this there’s a chance Treven Ma’ae made the Raiders initial 53 man roster, if it’s before Tuesday here’s the case for Ma’ae to be on the Raiders interior defensive line rotation. Ma’ae has made a strong case through three preseason games to not only make the roster but also crack the bottom of the rotation for the defensvie line, while also being a mainstay special teams player.
Background:
Ma’ae, originally from Kapolei, Hawaii attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas where he went on to become a 4 star prospect (No. 52 DE and No. 2 in NV). He played in the 2019 Polynesian Bowl and during his senior season logged 44 tackles, 14 TFL, and 8 sacks before committing to Oregon. During his time at Oregon Ma’ae was a key rotational player on the defensive line logging 29 games in three seasons and posting 32 tackles, four for loss, 2.5 sacks, a PBU, 13 pressures, and nine stops. Ma’ae also bulked up from 250 pounds his freshman year to 290 pounds by the time he transferred to Baylor in 2023. At Baylor, Ma’ae saw a jump in his snaps, logging nearly 1000 in two seasons and posting 27 pressures, 28 stops, 51 tackles, seven TFL, and 3.5 sacks (majority came in 2024 where Ma’ae logged 42 tackles, 7 TFL, and 3.5 sacks). During his senior season at Baylor, Ma’ae also logged a 5% win rate, which was below average for FBS defensive tackles by 1.4%.
The NFL:
After logging a 9.47 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) where he logged a 4.77 40 (1.67 10-split), 33” vertical jump, 9-05 broad jump, 7.48 shuttle, and posted 27 reps on the bench. Ma’ae also dropped back down to 280 pounds where he’s sat the entire time during preseason. The Raiders signed Ma’ae as an undrafted free agent after holding him at their local pro day during the pre draft process. The 24 year old held his own through training camp and appeared in 55 snaps over the pre-season. During the pre-season, Ma’ae logged 5 pressures, 2 stops, 3 hurries, 1.5 sacks, 2 QB hits, 3 TFL, and also added a blocked kick against the Cardinals. Ma’ae made the most of his opportunities during limited snaps, and did also see his snap time fall in week 3 from 23 and 21 in weeks 1 and 2 respectively to only 11 which is often a sign the staff favors a player towards making the roster. Ma’ae was productive as a pass rusher, also logging a 16.1% pass rush win rate which was 2nd among all rookie IDL during the pre-season. Ma’ae did struggle in run defense where he was uplifted at times and often seemed off footed. A primary run defender in college, you’d expect that would translate a little better to the NFL than it did.
The Raiders also rotated Ma’ae on the defensive line where he logged 36 snaps at 3T, 16 at 5T, and three as a wide end which is similar to his breakdown in college (516 3T, 299 5T, and 491 at wide end). Through preseason Ma’ae has demonstrated good traits in his lower half, especially his foot speed and lateral quickness which has helped him make strides as a pass rusher. Ma’ae has a strong lower half to pair with the athletic traits and has shown a good bag of pass rush moves in his limited snaps.
The Raiders are going to have to decide what to do on their interior defensive line. Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu are the likely starters. Rookies JJ Pegues and Tonka Hemingway seem to also be guaranteed their spots after performing well in preseason, though inconsistent (I am plugging my own tweets). The Raiders traded for Thomas Booker IV from the Eagles, giving up a young promising CB so it seems he’s also got his spot in line for the 53 man roster (especially after only playing 3 snaps in week 3 of the preseason). With all that said, the Raiders may only carry 5 defensive lineman, and if they do there’s a chance Ma’ae doesn’t clear waivers especially given his size and pass rush ability in such a weak rotational pass rusher market on the interior. Ma’ae has made his case for the roster, he’s an exceptional athlete and has paired that with quality film. The question now remains on if he’s done enough to sneak in as an extra body on the DL
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