Tight end, UCLA (from Oregon), 2021–⁠24

Moliki Matavao

Number
No. 88
Height
6′6″
Weight
263 lb
Class (2024)
Senior
Hometown
Henderson, NV
Born
Mar 17, 2003

Wikipedia readers: about 733 a month over the past year

Moliki Matavao played tight end at Oregon (2021–⁠22) and UCLA (2023–⁠24). The New Orleans Saints took Matavao in round 7, No. 248 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
506
Receiving yards, 2024 (UCLA, 5–⁠7)
Drafted
No. 248
Round 7, 2025 NFL Draft (New Orleans Saints)

Career highs

8catches, career highvs. Fresno State, 2024120receiving yards, career highvs. Fresno State, 2024

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2021Oregon9758.3115
2022Oregon1013413.4124
2023UCLA1428320.2235
2024UCLA4150612.3235
Career7499813.5635

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2021Oregon88TEFr.
2022Oregon88TESo.
2023UCLA88TEJr.
2024UCLA88TESr.6′6″263

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2021Oregon110.36––4.0–
2022Oregon121.11––13.3–
2023UCLA151.57––23.6–
2024UCLA451.0769th (n=581)0.9248.17%

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2024 UCLA 11 games, 41 catches, 506 yards, 2 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Aug 31atHawai’iW 16–⁠13342020–
Sep 14vs.IndianaL 13–⁠42332015–
Sep 21atLSUL 17–⁠34111011–
Sep 28vs.OregonL 13–⁠34121021–
Oct 5atPenn StateL 11–⁠2731809–
Oct 12vs.MinnesotaL 17–⁠2132309–
Oct 19atRutgersW 35–⁠326104025–
Nov 2atNebraskaW 27–⁠20452022–
Nov 15atWashingtonL 19–⁠31768127–
Nov 23vs.USCL 13–⁠19215110–
Nov 30vs.Fresno StateW 20–⁠138120035–
2023 UCLA 10 games, 14 catches, 283 yards, 2 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 9atSan Diego StateW 35–⁠10135035–
Sep 16vs.North Carolina CentralW 59–⁠7112012–
Oct 7vs.Washington StateW 25–⁠17376029–
Oct 14atOregon StateL 24–⁠36134034–
Oct 21atStanfordW 42–⁠7120120–
Oct 28vs.ColoradoW 28–⁠16126126–
Nov 11vs.Arizona StateL 7–⁠17123023–
Nov 18atUSCW 38–⁠20116016–
Nov 25vs.CaliforniaL 7–⁠33224013–
Dec 16 ✦vs.Boise StateW 35–⁠2221709–
2022 Oregon 7 games, 10 catches, 134 yards, 1 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 10vs.Eastern WashingtonW 70–⁠14116016–
Sep 17vs.BYUW 41–⁠20122022–
Sep 24atWashington StateW 44–⁠411808–
Oct 8atArizonaW 49–⁠221100103
Oct 29atCaliforniaW 42–⁠24345024–
Nov 5atColoradoW 49–⁠10226116–
Nov 19vs.UtahW 20–⁠171707–
2021 Oregon 9 games, 9 catches, 75 yards, 1 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 11atOhio StateW 35–⁠28114114–
Sep 18vs.Stony BrookW 48–⁠7218012–
Oct 15vs.CaliforniaW 24–⁠171707–
Oct 23atUCLAW 34–⁠311808–
Oct 30vs.ColoradoW 52–⁠29115015–
Nov 6atWashingtonW 26–⁠161404–
Nov 13vs.Washington StateW 38–⁠241202–
Nov 20atUtahL 7–⁠381707–
Dec 29 ✦vs.OklahomaL 32–⁠47–––––

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

Played in the 2025 Senior Bowl (National team, lost 19–⁠22).

DrillCombine 2025
Height6′5⅝″
Weight260 lb
Arm length32½″
Hand size9½″
Wingspan78⅞″
40-yard dash4.81 s
10-yard split1.60 sW
Vertical jump32½″
Broad jump9′6″

Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

1 season, 1 game with a stat; latest team: New Orleans Saints.

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2025New Orleans Saints12100

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

Is this you, or do you know of something wrong or missing here? Suggest a correction. We check each one against a source before changing the page.