It’s without question that the Seattle Seahawks will always question the mystery behind what happened to their second-round pick (35th overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft – Malik McDowell. The youngster was brought in to perform a vital function as a defensive tackle for the Boom Legion team, nevertheless, he was waived under the saddest of circumstances without even playing his first professional league game with his team. . What a funny way to start a sports career!
While most of us are still cowering on the spell-he-hit youngster, how about we take a look at 6 facts about defensive tackle as we wish him a speedy recovery and of course hope a team will come to ask for his services according to his quality in high school and college.
Who is Malik McDowell?
Malik was born on June 20, 1996 in Detroit, Michigan to Greg McDowell (father) and Joya Crowe (mother). He is of African-American descent and of American nationality. There is not much information on whether he has siblings or not or what his childhood was like. Nonetheless, given that he took football in high school and was pretty good at it, we can reasonably assume that his childhood was fun.
For high school, Malik McDowell was enrolled at Loyola High School in Detroit, Michigan where he stayed for some time before finishing at Southfield High School in Southfield, Michigan. The kid was one of the best defensive tackles (DTs) as he was ranked the second best DT player in his class and 26th overall in the entire country. For his brilliant tackle skills, speed, strength and durability at such a young age, Rivals.com called him a five-star rookie and it was at such a high level that Malik McDowell signed up to play in football for the Michigan State University Spartans in 2014.
In his freshman year, Malik played all 13 games a season and maintained impressive form throughout the three seasons he played college football. He was voted the best defensive lineman and named to the All-Big Ten Second Team in 2016. In December of the same year, he announced his intention to enter the 2017 NFL Draft as he had already signed with an agent.
It’s from this point that his story starts to get interesting because not only did he enter the NFL on an impressive note, but what happened after that will make for interesting reading, although we all wish him well. speedy recovery.
6 Facts About NFL Defensive Tackle
1. NFL Career
Prior to his draft, he received an invitation to the NFL combine where he attended and participated in all drills except the short shuttle and the three-cone drill. Nor was he deemed missing on Michigan State’s pro day, just as his eagerness to travel to the NFL saw him attend private practices hosted by teams like the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles , Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins.
Malik McDowell was drafted into the top American football league as 35th overall in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks as a much-needed defensive tackle to bolster their team.
2. Prospects in the NFL
Before entering the league, Malik McDowell alongside Jonathan Allen and Solomon Thomas were the best defensive linemen in the league who can play any position on a defensive line. Their versatility has made them very expensive, but while fate has taken its toll on Malik, the others are simply having a good run in their careers.
3. Contract and salary
McDowell’s first professional contract was worth $6.95 million with a $3.19 million signing bonus and $4.40 million guaranteed for four years. At that amount, the boy would have basked in the euphoria of being in NFL heaven, but it wasn’t meant to be for Malik.
4. Injury
Malik McDowell is more popular for his injury than the exploits he might have had in the NFL. After signing with the Seahawks and weeks away from their training camp, Malik was involved in an ATV accident that caused him extensive head and eye trauma that would likely see his career end before it even started. .
Nonetheless, the hard-working footballer has claimed in a report that his injury is not life-threatening and that he will return to the sports he loves dearly sooner than many pessimists predicted. Despite this, the Seattle Seahawks waived him on July 26, 2018 for a non-football related injury in hopes of making a defensive pick in the upcoming draft.
5. Body Stats
Malik McDowell is 6 feet 6 inches or 1.98m tall, weighing up to 299 pounds or 136 kg. He has an arm length of 34 3⁄4 in (0.88 m) while his hand size is 10 1⁄2 in (0.27 m).
6. Relationship and love life
As of now, the footballer is not known for dating anyone we know, especially going through what he is currently going through trying to get back on his feet and play football again. A relationship with the opposite sex might be the last thing he thinks about now or maybe he’s in one, but keep him away from the public eye.