Nov 15, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; UCLA Bruins tight end Moliki Matavao (88) carries the ball after making a catch against the Washington Huskies during the first half at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Would UCLA's Moliki Matavao Be a Good Fit for the Dallas Cowboys?

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Brock Vierra | Last updated Feb 23, 2025 2:22 PM ET

It could be argued that no Bruin has done more to up their draft stock since the end of the regular season than UCLA tight end Moliki Matavao. His performance at the Senior Bowl has made many take a deeper look at the prospect as he flashed his underrated hands in Mobile, Alabama.

One of those teams is the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys may be in need for a TE2 behind Jake Ferguson as Luke Schoonmaker has failed to impress, and considering new head coach Brian Schottenheimer loves to involve different players with different strengths within the structure of his offense, Matavao could be off to Dallas.

To find out more about Matavao and his fit with the Cowboys, I spoke to Team NBS Media's draft analyst and Cowboys commentator Greg Rector for his thoughts.

"Matavao would be a great addition to the Cowboys tight end room," Rector said. "He is excellent at finding spots to catch the ball against zone defenses and blocks very well in the running game."

Looking more into Matavao's fit within the Cowboys structure, the first thing to look at his his physicality.

UCLA TE Moliki Matavao is built like every old school coach's dream TE. (He's the TE that catches the ball on this drill) pic.twitter.com/eHYBaN5LN8
— Zach Lyons (@TheZachLyons) January 28, 2025

"One of the biggest things that we're really focusing on offensively is being more physical," Cowboys tight ends coach Lunda Wells told reporters on Tuesday, echoing the edict of violence and physicality delivered earlier in the afternoon by offensive coordinator Klayton Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley, but also by every single defensive coach that stepped in front of a microphone that day.

"Really, on both sides of the ball, as a team, being physical and dominating a line of scrimmage is gonna be a big focal point for us this offseason and going forward," Wells added." That will be one of the biggest themes going into this deal."

The Cowboys also want to do a better job in 2025 at masking their plays well in order to prevent the defense from differentiating which formations will result in passes and runs. One of the things that does is open up play action and opportunities downfield for athletic tight ends.

Matavao is great at finding seems in coverage, running out routes and exploding out of his breaks, a key for a tight end in Dallas. It seems like Matavao and the Cowboys may be a marriage made in heaven.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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