NFL Draft Profile: DeAngelo Malone, Defensive End, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

NFL draft profile scouting report for Western Kentucky defensive end, DeAngelo Malone

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#10
Pos: DE
Ht: 6032
Wt: 243
Hand: 0978
Arm: 3318
Wing: 7948
Bench: 23
Vertical: 41
DOB: 7/12/_
Eligible: 2022
Atlanta, GA
Cedar Grove High School

DeAngelo Malone
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

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One-Liners

DeAngelo Malone flashes his ability with a quick first step and long frame. His lesser play strength in run defense keeps him on the fringe of being a day two pick heading into the 2021 season.

Pros:

Malone primarily lines up as a stand-up outside rusher for the Hilltopper defense. Also has added the versatility of playing in a four-point stance along the line since putting on more size. He is relentless in pursuit, displaying great effort to chase from the backside of the play or out in space. Strong hands at the point of attack to rip off of blocks. Plays with good upper body strength at the line of scrimmage which makes him a physical run defender to deal with. Malone shows flashes of getting off the line quick with explosiveness. Fairly good straight-line speed to play in space against read options from the edge position. He showed that he can contort his upper body to find ways to slide through thin gaps at the line of scrimmage. Looked like his play speed increased as the season went on. Plays on the kick return and field goal units. 

Cons:

Malone is not an extremely flexible athlete, which shows up when rushing the passer as he is not able to get the ankle flexion he needs to bend around the edge consistently. Change of direction ability on the fly is also limited because of this. He has developed his frame a lot in his time at Western Kentucky, but his legs remain thin and brings up some lower-body functional strength concerns as an edge-setter. Needs to improve his tackling ability as well to finish plays strong and set the tone with more physicality. 

Summary:

DeAngelo Malone has been a high-impact player for the past four seasons with the Hilltoppers. He broke out early on in his career because of his profile as a tackling machine. Malone projects best as an outside linebacker in an odd front because of his size and quickness. He makes a lot of the plays he does because of outstanding effort and understanding of play diagnosis at the line of scrimmage. He is not a high-caliber athlete in comparison to other edge defenders in this class, which may limit his ceiling. Regardless, Malone is an experienced player with a ton of production at the college level who can contribute right away in a rotational role, as well as playing on special teams. 

Background:

DeAngelo Malone attended Cedar Grove high school in Georgia and in his senior season he finished with 49 tackles and eight tackles for loss. After high school, 247Sports ranked him as a 2-Star recruit, the 2976th-best recruit nationally, the 134th-ranked weak defensive end recruit in the country and the 339th recruit in the state of Georgia.

Malone committed to Western Kentucky and in his freshman year in 2017, he appeared in 11 games, started three and finished with 25 tackles and 1.5 sacks. In 2018, he started 12 games and finished with 60 tackles, nine tackles for loss and six sacks. In 2019, he posted ridiculous numbers in his 13 starts, finishing with 99 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. In the COVID-19 impacted 2020 season, Malone started 11 games, finished with 71 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. In 2021, Malone proved his 2019 production was not a fluke as he started 14 games, finished with 94 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. In 2021, he was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the year and All-Conference USA First team.

Malone has had quite the journey since his high school days, where he was a wide receiver turned defensive end, due to weighing under 200 pounds. It took determination to bulk up to the 230-mark he’s now listed at and that work ethic is echoed by Malone’s view of his eye-popping production, “In my first year, there were times where I left tackles and sacks on the field, so I just worked and worked to get better and fix those mental errors. That’s just the process.” Malone’s teammates who are around him every day and understand his practice habits, are impressed by his growth - wide receiver Jacquez Sloan says, “You can just tell he wants it more now. He’s put on a lot of weight, he works so hard it’s ridiculous. I’ve watched him mature, and he’s come a long way.”

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Grades

Current Player Value/Potential Player Value

7.1 / 7.6

Floor/Ceiling: Special Teams / Rotational

Scheme Fit: 3-4 OLB

Grade: 6th Round

Injury History: Missed four games in 2018 due to a high ankle sprain. Underwent surgery on his shoulder in 2019.

Character Notes: N/A

2/6/22 - One would have thought the WKU player making the most noise in Mobile this week would have been the all-time NCAA record-holding passer Bailey Zappe. Instead, it was the hyper-athletic edge defender Malone, whose dominant week carried over into Saturday, where he earned MVP for the American team. A superb performance that saw him amass six tackles, 0.5 sacks, and two hurries. He was a handful for tackles and tight ends all week as he possesses a combination of supreme get-off yet strong hands that allow him to bull rush with ease. When speaking with Nick Lamattina of NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated, he said: "Malone had a good day, he attacked well from the edge, and showed versatility in his ability to drop into the flats." Pass rushers are the ultimate commodity on the defensive side of the ball in the NFL. With a constant demand and short supply, look for Malone to garner more hype before the draft. 

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