Grading out Malik McDowell's draft selection
Malik McDowell is a very intriguing figure for this year's NFL draft.
There are plenty of draft pundits who love his tremendous upside and focus on the highs. Others lean toward a perceived reputation that McDowell takes too many plays off and is a liability.
But if there's one team in the NFL that's earned a reputation for drafting and developing great defensive lineman, it's the Seahawks. And the draft experts grading the selection took notice.
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- Include CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco in the group of people that loves the Michigan State defensive lineman, and got his second-highest grade of A.
This is another really good pick early in the round. He has top-10 talent, but there are some effort questions. Right team here.
- Same for FoxSports.com's Dieter Kurtenbach, who loves the fit and value for the Seahawks. A-.
McDowell could have been a mid-first round pick. The Seahawks trading down from a spot to take Robinson is a bit of a head scratcher, but you have to imagine they weren't high on Cam. Or (Forrest) Lamp.
- NFL.com's Chad Reuter graded the Seahawks an A- for their Day 2 picks.
They picked up the defensive lineman they were eyeing in the first round, Malik McDowell, so chalk that up as a win.
- NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal writes that the Seahawks were one of the big winners on Day 2 because of the McDowell pick.
It wasn't a surprise that Seahawks GM John Schneider used the first two of his six (!) picks Friday to get bigger up front. Michigan State defensive tackle Malik McDowell has top-five talent, and Pete Carroll is just the coach to squeeze that talent out of him. Seattle also added behemoth defensive tackle Nazair Jones to the mix late in the third round.
- Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke graded the McDowell pick a B.
Seattle finally decides to use its pick, and with it nabs the prospect in this class with perhaps the most room between his ceiling and floor. Make no mistake about it: McDowell is immensely gifted physically; this is a great scheme for him, too. The Seahawks just have to keep him motivated. Don’t forget, they passed on Forrest Lamp and multiple available CBs here.
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- SB Nation's Dan Kadar of Mocking The Draft gave the Seahawks a B overall for their second- and third-round picks, saying this about McDowell:
The knock on McDowell is that he runs hot and cold and needs to be motivated. Seattle and the competitive environment they have is a great place for him to be. McDowell fits as a movable defensive lineman. But to pass on offensive linemen multiple times is a risky proposition.
- ESPN's Steve Muench says he's one of the most talented defensive linemen in the draft and gave a grade of 86 (which comes out to a B).
Seattle adds depth and improves its interior pass rush by adding McDowell, who is the most gifted interior pass-rusher in this class. It's a good landing spot for the inconsistent McDowell, as Seattle has the leaders to hold him accountable, and defensive coordinator Kris Richard will make the most of his versatility.
- Yahoo Sports' Eric Edholm graded it a B- and says it's a perfect fit of talent and personality.
McDowell’s motor doesn’t always run white hot, and he didn’t endear himself to NFL teams during the pre-draft interviews. But if the Seahawks can get McDowell revved up on that defensive front, which continues to reload, the QB-hunting days could be here to stay for a while. This is a risky pick, however, after trading down three times to this spot.
Walter Football brought the hammer down on the Seahawks, handing out a C+.
The Seahawks did a terrific job of moving down, picking up third-, fourth-, sixth- and seventh-round picks just for moving down nine spots. That's pretty good, and it'll help this grade a bit. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of the end result. McDowell was a second-round talent I dropped into the third because he interviewed extremely poorly. He has the traits the Seahawks look for in a prospect, but doesn't seem very competitive, so it's surprising to me that Seattle would take him.
Bleacher Report's Mike Tanier also wasn't the biggest fan of the McDowell selection, giving a C- based on McDowell's 'insane playing style' being a weakness.
McDowell is like a pitbull trying to get through the fence when the mailman arrives. Sometimes he wants to go over. Sometimes he wants to go under. Sometimes he wants to crash right through. But sometimes he tries to do all three at once and winds up causing himself more harm than others.
