Malik McDowell: I won't leave Michigan State unless I'm a Top 3 pick
EAST LANSING -- Malik McDowell came to Michigan State as one of the top high defensive linemen in the country.
There was an intense recruiting battle for Southfield’s five-star prospect and the Spartans sealed one of the top recruits of coach Mark Dantonio’s tenure.
McDowell's next move — to the NFL — may be even more scrutinized.
As far as he's concerned, it's no lock that he leaves after his junior season, despite being projected by many websites as a potential top 10 NFL draft pick. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. listed him at No. 6 on his Big Board in May for the 2017 draft.
"Top 10 ain't good enough for me," McDowell said at Monday’s Michigan State media day. "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."
With the departure of Shilique Calhoun to the NFL, McDowell has assumed the spotlight, even if he's not that interested in being there.
He had 41 tackles, 13 for loss, and 4 1/2 sacks last year as a sophomore, enough to tease his massive potential.
MSU coach Mark Dantonio is not pulling back on the hype.
"With success comes more responsibility,” Dantonio said. "When you're in that vein and that ability, you have to play to that ability. That's a challenge that everybody hopes to have in their football career. You hope you get to that point, where you need to play like a first-team All-American. He can and he should. And I believe he will."
To earn that, McDowell spent the off-season trying to live up to that level.
He let the words of former MSU defensive linemen guide him.
He took advice from William Gholston about the NFL challenge, accepting new drills to free his hands and escape blocks. And he remembered the message of Marcus Rush, who said studying himself was as important as anyone else.
“Marcus Rush told me study your own film,” he said. “Don’t even watch film for the other team, watch it for yourself where you messed up and where you could do better. Once I started paying attention to that film and seeing what I could do better, the game slowed down for me and I was able to play more comfortable.”
At 6-feet-6 and 276 pounds, McDowell is a challenge to block for any offensive lineman. But with the double teams coming so consistently, the defensive line coaches are trying to find ways to free him.
His body type allows him to move up and down the line and should create a challenge for opponents to adjust.
While it’s against his nature to be a vocal presence, he’s being prodded to fill that role that others offered to him.
“He’s a third-year player, we expect him to help and be a leader for the group, we expect him to teach others that are around him, that’s what he’s doing now,” MSU defensive line coach Ron Burton said. “One day at a time… We come in and we work. Our practices, we treat them, like games. He’s doing the best he can do.”
Dantonio expects greatness, to enter that elite pantheon on Michigan State defensive linemen.
The concerning part for opponents: He’s still growing.
After feeling discomfort last year, he and his coaches tried to figure out what was wrong.
“It started midseason last year having little rib and chest issues and went out to see a specialist to make sure nothing was really going on,” he said. “And they did all the tests and the one test, the x-ray come back and you see this weird spot in my chest and he was like it was a growth plate. That’s unbelievable. I’m already 6-6 and I can’t imagine growing anymore.
“I hope not past 6-7, 6-8. I really hope I don’t grow much more.”
McDowell would prefer to simply play football and not deal with the hype. Being projected as an All-American is “cool” but he pays little attention to those expectations.
His motivation is internal, using the Alabama loss in the College Football Playoff semifinal to push himself.
He said that was the worst loss of his life and was most bothered by the lack of effort. He couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but said it still stings.
The NFL awaits and it’ll be tough for him to put off the possibility of being a high first-round pick. But he has gone against the grain before and it has worked out.
His mother, Joya Crowe, was a vocal opponent of the Spartans when McDowell chose them as a senior and hesitated to sign his letter-of-intent.
With her son soaring and talked about as one of the nation’s best players, Crowe is coming around.
“She’s cool,” he said. “She said she loves the school, she loves me, and she’s going to love whatever I’m doing either way it goes. It didn’t work out at first, but she was going to come around sooner or later. She just wanted the best for me.”
If he lives up to Dantonio’s expectations, everyone may understand him changing his mind.
Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark__snyder.
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