Three More Bruins Selected in Fourth, Fifth Rounds of NFL Draft
April 29, 2023 | Football
LOS ANGELES โ Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and two of his offensive linemen โ Jon Gaines II and Atonio Mafi โ came off the board on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft to complete UCLA's draft class Saturday.
Gaines was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 122nd overall pick and 20th selection of the fourth round. He started 29 games over his final three seasons along the Bruins' offensive line, seeing action at guard, center and tackle. UCLA averaged more than 200 yards rushing in each of those seasons to rate among the nation's best. This past season, the Bruins ranked sixth in the nation in rushing offense (237.2 yards per game) and racked up at least 200 rushing yards in nine games. Gaines was honored as the Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week after helping the team rack up a season-best 402 yards on the ground in a win at Arizona State (Nov. 5, 2022). The UCLA offensive line was recognized as one of the nation's best over the course of the 2022 season when picked as a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.
Thompson-Robinson was chosen by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the draft, with the 140th overall selection and sixth pick of the round. He completed his Bruin career as the all-time school leader in total offense (12,536 yards), completions (860), total touchdowns (116), touchdown passes (88), passing yards (10,710) and quarterback starts (48). In 2023, he finished the season ranked sixth in the nation in completion percentage (.696) to set a new UCLA single-season record while recording six games with at least a .700 completion percentage. Thompson-Robinson also ran for 50 yards or more in seven games last season and finished the campaign with 12 touchdowns on the ground (third on the all-time UCLA quarterbacks list). Thompson-Robinson rated ninth nationally in points responsible for (238), 10th in points responsible for per game (18.3), 18th in passing touchdowns (27), 19th in passing efficiency (157.4) and 20th in total offense (293.4 yards per game). He piloted a Bruin offense that ranked fourth nationally and was one of just six in the country to average at least 500 total-offense yards per game (503.6). His total of 1,826 career rushing yards rates as the best of any UCLA quarterback for a career.
Atonio Mafi was picked by the New England Patriots with the 144th overall selection and the 10th pick of the draft's fifth round. He started all 13 games last season at left guard and set a school record by playing in 56 career games at UCLA. The Bruins average more than 200 rushing yards per contest for the third straight season and produced a 1,000-yard rusher for the second time in as many years. He was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection. UCLA's offensive line was recognized as one of the nation's best in 2022 when it was picked as a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.
Running behind Gaines and Mafi for much of last season was Zach Charbonnet, a second-round selection by the Seahawks, who led the nation in all-purpose yards with a 168.0-yards-per-game average and topped the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game (135.9 yards per game, fourth on the Football Subdivision level). He rated fourth nationally in rushing yards per carry (6.97) and racked up eight 100-yard rushing games on the year. Charbonnet's total of 1,359 rushing yards (19th in the nation) last season made him the ninth Bruin to record back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. It is the first time that UCLA has had multiple offensive linemen selected in the same year since the 2018 NFL Draft, which saw Kolton Miller (first round) and Scott Quessenberry (fifth round) selected by the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers, respectively.
UCLA's 2023 NFL DRAFT CLASS
Round 2, Pick 52 โ RB Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
Round 4, Pick 122 โ OL Jon Gaines II, Arizona Cardinals
Round 5, Pick 140 โ QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Cleveland Browns
Round 5, Pick 144 โ OL Atonio Mafi, New England Patriots
With the 52nd pick in the @NFLDraft the @Seahawks
โ UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) April 29, 2023
select @zachcharbon!#4sUp | #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/NclTCiPxI5
With the 122nd pick in the @NFLDraft the @AZCardinals select @jongaines77! #4sUp | #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/p7n2CPuIMP
โ UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) April 29, 2023
With the 140th pick in the @NFLDraft the @Browns select @DoriansTweets!#4sUp | #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/GM0LbXkH6A
โ UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) April 29, 2023
With the 144th pick in the @NFLDraft the @Patriots select @mafiatonio!#4sUp | #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/BPeTaeklHX
โ UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) April 29, 2023
