Malcolm Roach 2020 NFL Draft Profile

After four seasons with the Texas Longhorns, defensive lineman Malcolm Roach is taking his talents to the NFL level. Although he projects as an interior defender at the next level, Roach spent the majority of his collegiate career playing on the edge. In 2019, the 6’-2”, 297-pound lineman recorded 17 run stops, three sacks, seven quarterback hits, and 21 hurries on 589 snaps.

Roach initially joined the collegiate ranks as a three-star recruit. After receiving over 20 offers, the Louisiana native eventually settled on Texas. Not only did he earn an immediate spot as a true freshman, but he managed to play at a relatively high level. He took a minor step back as a sophomore, recording three sacks and 16 run stuffs in 2017. He followed that up by going sackless with 10 run stuffs on 339 snaps as a junior.

Strengths

Flashes the ability to make NFL-level plays;

Great first step and reaction time;

Fast enough to get under guards and collapse the pocket;

Holds his ground in one-on-one situations in the run game;

Team captain;

Unfavorable scheme – production could increase with better fit.

Weaknesses

Stuck in between defensive interior and edge defender;

Struggles to hold up in space and will need to move to the interior full-time;

Needs to add weight to survive in the interior full-time;

No nuance to his pass rushing moves;

Doesn’t always play through the whistle on longer plays;

Not a good lateral mover.

Projection: 6^th Round

Bottom Line on Malcolm Roach

Malcolm Roach is the type of prospect that does just enough to keep earning one more chance. Most of Roach’s film left a lot to be desired, but every now and again he’d do something that shows what he can be at the NFL level. His first step is second to none, and he’s relatively quick for a defensive lineman. This combination of skill allows him to slip past guards and collapse the pocket on a fairly consistent basis. While he struggles to take on double teams, he can hold his own in one-on-one situations and should be better suited for double teams if he adds some weight. Additionally, his collegiate scheme did him no favors, so one could argue that the world has yet to see Roach at his best.

As he’s currently built, Roach does not have a positional home in the NFL. He’s too much of a liability in space to handle the edge and not big enough to survive inside. He’ll need to add at least another 10-15 pounds, which could cause him to lose his quick first step. He also has no discipline in his pass rush and tends to give up on longer plays. Whether this is due to poor conditioning or poor effort is up to interpretation. Ultimately, Roach is probably nothing more than a camp body who should spend at least one season on a practice squad.

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Malcolm Roach 2020 NFL Draft Profile