There’s no question that the Oakland Raiders need help on the inside. Even head coach Jack Del Rio has come out and said that they need more interior pressure. When looking at this year’s draft, it’s easy to see who the most talented defensive tackle is. Malik McDowell is huge, athletic, and full of upside. However, the Oakland Raiders should avoid drafting him at all costs.
The Oakland Raiders Should Avoid Malik McDowell
On paper, Malik McDowell is perfect for the Oakland Raiders. He’s 6’6, 300 pounds, and a physical specimen. How many players in the NFL can run a 4.85 40 yard dash at his size? Not many, not many at all. With a big, disruptive force like that rushing up the middle, Bruce Irvin and Khalil Mack would face fewer blockers on the edge.
However, McDowell is a bit of a raw prospect. He’s huge and athletic, but incredibly inconsistent. Even in college, his numbers didn’t jump off the page. He only registered seven and a half sacks in his three seasons at Michigan State, and it’s hard to imagine that improving against elite NFL talent.
What’s Missing
So what is Malik McDowell missing? Just about everything he wasn’t born with. As far as his actual technique is concerned, he’s incredibly raw. His footwork and balance are all over the place, and leans into blockers far too often. He’s just not someone that can take the field on day one and make a serious impact.
You can’t draft a guy that won’t make a serious impact without some crazy coaching in the first round. Last year, the Oakland Raiders took a risk on a big, raw pass rusher in Jihad Ward, and he has yet to register his first career sack. But McDowell has more upside than Ward. Maybe the Raiders could fix him?
The Worst Interview Ever
At the combine, Malik McDowell had an interview, and it didn’t go well. The biggest question mark with McDowell is how coachable he is, and whether he can clean up his game. However, at the combine, when asked where his unique pass rushing style came from, he gave the second worst answer ever.
He said, “My coaches, at first they weren’t really with it until I started making plays and everything. They tried to help me out but I really couldn’t get it right. I tried to tweak the technique a little bit, tweak little bit and after a certain point they just started teaching me my own style of play.”
And when the interviewers asked McDowell to explain what he meant, he followed it up with the worst answer ever.
He said, “Nah, it wasn’t even that. It just took longer time. It was hard for me to get it down, so once I figured it out, once I started making plays they really just said go ahead and do you, really.”
So basically, his collegiate coaches tried to clean up his game, and they just couldn’t. They eventually just gave up and let him play his own style of football. That might be why he only had a sack and a half in 2016.
Bigger Needs
Malik McDowell is definitely a first round talent, and someone else will give him a shot. If he was available when the Raiders picked again in the second round, it would be one thing, but there’s no way he is.
The Oakland Raiders need help on defense. As of writing this, the Oakland Raiders haven’t signed Zach Brown or any other defensive stars, and that’ll have to be where they go in round one. The Oakland Raiders are on the verge of becoming Super Bowl contenders, and they can’t afford to miss with their first round pick. Unfortunately for fans of Malik McDowell, the 6’6 lineman would be a very big miss.
