Is Malik McDowell considering OL and DL?

Submitted by mabrsu on

For those that saw some of the DL vs OL drills at the most recent camp in Chicago, y'all saw how big Malik McDowell looks now.  He has really put on some good weight, but it looks like he struggled in some of those 1 on 1 drills.  Perhaps some lost speed with his weight tipping close to 310. 

Well, any chance he is considering a move to the OL or is he 100% DL all the way?  I know those drills don't allow bullrushing, which is likely a strength of a 310 lb DL, haha.

Jaqen H'ghar

June 12th, 2013 at 9:50 PM ^

Definitely has the frame of an Offensive Tackle but he looked fine to me in those videos. He wouldn't have offers from practically every big program if he wasn't good at his primary position.

Blazefire

June 12th, 2013 at 9:58 PM ^

I think if you've got a 300+ pounder that is extremely good at DT, you're probably okay with him losing half a step speed wise. That's not a planet. That's Unicron.

MGoStrength

June 12th, 2013 at 11:12 PM ^

What was he like 6'6" 325?  If he can hit PSU QBs the same way then I'm all for it.  Although in all fairness I think Hoke has shown he prefers his guys in shape and able to go hard as we saw PeeWee and BWC bring their weights down last year.

marti221

June 12th, 2013 at 10:13 PM ^

His trainer was also here posting, and stated he had gained weight because of his injury. He mentioned that his playing weight would be closer to 280-285 and he would be in that range by the start of his season.

jethro34

June 13th, 2013 at 8:26 AM ^

The good news is he doesn't need to beat Prince. That's Hand's job, and one he does quite well. McDowell needs to beat the guy who will be standing next to Prince on a line, or pulling behind him. I think he can do that just fine as he and Hand then sandwich the guy, with Marshall slamming the pile.

Eastside Maize

June 12th, 2013 at 11:03 PM ^

From the clips I've seen McDowell fared well at the Rivals camp. I am intrigued to see how he does at Div.1 Southfield High. I'm definitely gonna try my best to see McDowell and Marshall beat my high school rival Cass Tech in the season opener. ( I went to King)

Magnus

June 13th, 2013 at 10:10 AM ^

You could tell in those one-on-one videos that McDowell was favoring his ankle. He couldn't cut. I wouldn't be too concerned about his mobility. I do think he'll eventually be a 3-tech DT.