80 Prospects in 80 Days: Buffalo EDGE Malcolm Koonce
Each day leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, we will take a look at prospects that should be on the Carolina Panthers' radar. We will look at roughly eleven prospects per round to give a better idea of potential draftees beyond just the first round.
Here's our schedule for the next 80 days:
1st Round: Feb. 8th - Feb. 21st
2nd Round: Feb. 22nd - Mar. 6th
3rd Round: Mar. 7th - Mar. 18th
4th Round: Mar. 19th - Mar. 28th
5th Round: Mar. 29th - Apr. 7th
6th Round: Apr. 8th - Apr. 17th
7th Round: Apr. 18th - Apr. 27th
Prospect No. 62: EDGE Malcolm Koonce
College: Buffalo
Height: 6'3" Weight: 245 lbs
Draft range: 6th round
Analysis: Malcolm Koonce was one of the biggest pieces of a very stingy Buffalo defense in 2020. He ended the season with 30 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks but only played in six games. Had Buffalo played a full season, we would be talking about Koonce as a day two draft pick. Unfortunately, the lack of games this past season cheated him out of his stock.
Analysis from NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated:
Arguably the premier small-school pass rusher in the 2021 draft class, Koonce has the traits that will have teams running odd-man fronts and swooning at the possibilities. Boasting fantastic speed and flexibility, Koonce is a dynamic speed rusher who is able to consistently threaten the outside track. He is able to defeat offensive linemen with explosiveness and foot quickness, dropping his pad level and running without little wasted momentum. This type of athlete can deal out a lot of stress, especially against limited athletes at the offensive tackle position. Koonce is a mound of clay that is still far from a finished product. He currently lacks counter moves if winning with speed is not available to him. Koonce also lacks the power profile to convert speed to power consistently on the outside. His best football is clearly in front of him with the necessary athletic profile to develop. With Koonce’s combination of speed, flexibility, and upside, he has all the talent to develop into a high-volume sack artist off the edge in an odd-man front down the road.
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