2023 NFL Draft: Malik Cunningham Talks What He Brings to the Next Level Out of Louisville
Louisville's dominant 48-21 victory over No. 10-ranked Wake Forest is something that quarterback Malik Cunningham will always remember and a game that stands out as perhaps the biggest of his career.
"Definitely was a memorable moment for a lot of us and not just me. Those guys were ranked in the top ten and I feel like they overlooked us for sure, and then we ended up beating them pretty good this year."
Cunningham finished out the victory 15-of-23 passing for 164 yards with a pair of rushing touchdowns, thrilled with the way the team got the job done on both sides of the ball against one of college football's more formidable forces at the time.
It came down to complementary football and capitalizing on multiple turnovers -- Louisville came up with some four interceptions that day, thanks to the efforts of Kei'Trel Clark (1), Quincy Riley (2) and Monty Montgomery (1).
"The thing that stood out was how many turnovers there were," Cunningham said. "It seemed like every time we got the ball back from a turnover, we ended up putting points on the board and that's always good for both sides of the ball. Getting out there and executing offensively against high level competition."
Now heading into the next level, Cunningham is hoping for more electric games like that one and feels he brings what's needed from both a passing perspective and as a runner -- something he's had a good deal of success with after he finished out his college career with 3,184 rushing yards, 50 rushing touchdowns and an end-of-the-season completion percentage that only dipped below 60% one time over five total seasons.
"I pride myself in being able to extend plays outside of the pocket, getting the ball to the playmakers and just taking full control of the offense and being able to show that I know how to handle things out there," Cunningham said.
He's garnered a good bit of praise for his efforts on the ground, but feels he uses his legs responsibly and at the right times.
"I bring a lot to the table as a runner," Cunningham said. "Being a playmaker when the ball is in my hand and when it's time to go, I know how to get going and get down the field. Being able to protect myself too, there's a lot of defenders after you."
But at the same time, he's confident he's shown a lot of positives in the passing game as well.
"I think I do a good job of being able to push the ball down the field," Cunningham said. "Just being able to take what the defense gives me. If they drop everybody, just find a back in the backfield that's open or throw the ball out of bounds. If there's a running lane, hit that lane and make a play with my legs."
Playing in two very different offenses, Cunningham feels comfortable and ready to make the transition to football's largest stage.
"Coach (Petrino) is more pro-style and that's kind of what this league is. But now it's converted more to a spread, and it's more of what Coach (Satterfield) did. So having both of those things definitely helped. Verbiage is a bit longer now in the league than it was in college, so that's something to consider."
Cunningham says he handled a lot at the line of scrimmage and feels ready to command significant responsibility pre-snap.
"A lot of our stuff is up-tempo, so coach will call it in, signal it in and I'll give the offensive line their protection and the center makes the call," Cunningham said. "So if it's like set into the boundary and it's overload to the field, I can switch it over to the field and get everybody in the right position to execute the play."
"I just wanted to get out there and show I could compete with some of the top guys in this class and I feel like I can make every throw that they can and feel I bring a bit more to the table than some of the guys who are here."
But outside of all of these on-the-field aspects, Cunningham prides himself on the intangibles more than anything else.
"I think I proved this season that I'm a leader for sure," Cunningham said. "I've been through a lot of adversity throughout my career and just being able to just keep ticking away at the days, taking it day by day, not looking ahead and just being present. Never too high and never too low. Just being a better version of myself."
Development as both a player and a person has come down to having one of the NFL's greatest players, Lamar Jackson, in his ear as as someone Cunningham considers to be a "big brother" to him.
"I kind of model my game after him," Cunningham said. "Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, I see a lot of myself in those guys as well. Lot of guys who run an RPO offense, I relate a lot of myself to them."
Like several players who go undrafted like in Cunningham's case, he's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder and a lot to prove.
"Definitely have got a chip on my shoulder, but I wouldn't call myself underrated," Cunningham said.
"It's just that a lot of those goes were on a better overall team than I was. I feel like if one or two things had gone another way, then things would be different."
It will be interesting to see how things shake out when offseason activities begin for the Patriots as Cunningham looks to carve out a spot for himself on a practice squad or a 53-man roster.
