Forgoing his final year of eligibility, Michigan State defensive lineman Malik McDowell announced he will enter the 2017 NFL draft:
In August, McDowell outlined his plan for potentially making an abrupt departure from East Lansing, according to the Detroit Free Press' Mark Snyder:
Top 10 ain't good enough for me. I ain't leaving if I'm (only) top 10. If I'm not top three, I don't leave. Really. I'm just trying to live day by day. It's one through three, that's the only way I'm going. I'm happy, I like it here, I ain't really in a rush to leave.
The teammates I have the on-field stuff we do, the off-field stuff we do. Just good people around me. I can't complain.
McDowell still has time to improve his draft stock, but he has an uphill battle ahead to become a top-three pick on April 27. In his most recent big board Nov. 9, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked McDowell as the No. 15 player overall and No. 2 defensive lineman.
Barring an injury or a catastrophic showing at the combine, though, the Spartans star should be a first-round pick, more than warranting his decision to leave college early. Miller added McDowell could rise on draft boards in the coming months:
In his final season at Michigan State, McDowell had 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. In comparison, he had 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as a sophomore.
An ankle problem kept McDowell out of action in November, which helps explain in part his drop in production.
Before the start of the season, Pro Football Focus' Josh Liskiewitz drew parallels between McDowell and DeForest Buckner, whom the San Francisco 49ers selected seventh overall in last year's draft:
McDowell excels at shedding one-on-one blocks. He uses his arm length and upper body strength well to set up a variety of moves, and can defeat multiple layers of blocking, particularly on the pass rush.
Buckner beats blockers in a similar manner, and while both lack the closing burst to consistently finish sacks, it's their ability to compromise plays at the line of scrimmage that makes them such destructive forces.
In October, NFL Media's Lance Zierlein spoke to an NFC scout who made the same comparison:
[McDowell] has a lot of talent. I think he could end up being a better player than [Buckner] but I'm not completely sold on his football character yet. I've studied him pretty closely this year and he's not afraid to tap himself out of a game when he's tired. He needs to be able to play through that fatigue sometimes.
McDowell is the kind of player who will excel during predraft showcases. He's athletic for a player of his size (6'6", 276 lbs), and his speed and agility are bound to excite NFL scouts. There's little doubt he possesses the strength to handle offensive linemen at the next level as well.
Even if he never posts gaudy sack totals, McDowell should be able to consistently collapse the pocket, making him a valuable asset against the pass.
In general, interior linemen aren't coveted as much as pass-rushers who play on the outside, so McDowell's ceiling may be top five rather than top three. Should he fall out of the top 10, he'll be a steal on draft day.
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