Malik Cunningham 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Prospect: Malik Cunningham
Position: Quarterback
School: Louisville
Year: Sixth-Year Senior

Background

Born Oct. 6, 1998 (age 24) to father Michael Cunningham and mother Stacy Skanes. A native of Montgomery, Ala, he lettered in football at Park Crossing High School, where he was the starter for three seasons. During his senior year, he compiled 3,928 yards of offense and 49 total touchdowns, earning All-State honors.

Cunningham was a highly-regarded prospect in the Class of 2017, ranked as high as the No. 9 dual threat quarterback and No. 219 overall prospect. He held offers from Georgia, LSU, Kentucky and others, as well as one from Alabama to play safety. He eventually picked Louisville in part because of his draw to Lamar Jackson, who was a junior during Cunningham's freshman year.

He wouldn't get his first taste of on-field action until the 2018 season after redshirting his true freshman campaign. Making ten appearances with three starts that year, he went 40-for-67 for 473 yards plus a touchdown and an interception. The was on top of 497 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, both of which led a Louisville team that went only 2-10 and led to the firing of head coach Bobby Petrino.

Scott Satterfield was brought in ahead of the 2019 season, and after Jawon Pass suffered a season-ending toe injury in the season opener, Cunningham was elevated to the starter and played a key role in Louisville's incredible turnaround to an 8-5 campaign. In 12 games and 11 starts, he completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 2,065 yards and 22 touchdowns to just five interceptions, while also rushing for 482 yards and six touchdowns. That season, he also set the school record for passing efficiency at 194.45. Had he attempted one more pass, this mark would have qualified nationally and been second in the nation only to Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow.

From an efficiency standpoint, Cunningham took a major step backwards in 2020. While he did complete a career-best 64.1 percent of his passes for 2,617 yards and 20 touchdowns, that also came with a career-high 12 interceptions. His 609 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns also came with nine total fumbles (three of which were lost). He started all 11 games that year, and thanks mainly to a team-wide issue with turnovers, the Cardinals would end up going just 4-7.

Cunningham rebounded in a huge way for the 2021 season, and put together the best season of his collegiate career. Starting all 13 games, he completed 62.0 percent of his passes for a career-best 2,941 yards, along with 19 touchdowns to just six interceptions. What made this season for him so incredible for him was that his dual threat ability was on full display, rushing for a career-best 1,031 yards to lead all FBS quarterbacks in rushing yards, while rushing for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns in the FBS with 20. He ranked 14th nationally in total offense at 305.5 yards per game, and was a passing touchdown short of joining the exclusive 20/20 club. Louisville went 6-7 for the year.

Opting to bypass the 2022 NFL Draft and return for his final season in college, Cunningham's production took a hit for the 2022 season, and he also dealt with a pair of injuries that forced him to miss a couple games. Making nine starts with 10 appearances, he completed 62.5 percent of his pass attempts for 1,568 yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions. His rushing total was cut nearly in half with 565 yards, but he still collected a team-best 12 scores on the ground. That was enough to conclude his collegiate career with 120 touchdowns responsible for, besting Lamar Jackson by one for the most in Louisville history. The Cardinals went 8-5 in his final year, although he did opt out of Louisville's Fenway Bowl win over Cincinnati.

Measurements

At the NFL Combine, Cunningham measured in at 5 feet and 11 6/8 inches (5116) and 192 pounds, along with 9 1/2" hands and 31 3/8″ arms. Cunningham ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds, and did not participate in any other drills.

Scouting Report

Strengths

• An incredibly dynamic athlete. He's not Lamar Jackson, but with his open field speed, great burst and above average vision, he's pretty close.
• Has a good overall feel for the pocket and surrounding pressure. Can usually avoid sacks thanks in part to both his instincts and athleticism, and regularly extends plays most others couldn't due to his ability to elude tacklers.
• Makes quick and snappy reads, and excels whenever the offense is in rhythm. Does best on RPO's and rollouts to open receivers, and more often than not can anticipate route breaks by receivers.

Weaknesses

• Has a tendency to stare down receivers in the intermediate, and didn't have good deep ball accuracy last season thanks in part to inconsistent mechanics.
• He goes through reads quickly, but often opts to scramble out of the pocket if his first couple reads are not wide open. Needs to work on delivering balls from the pocket.
• Cunningham is one of the smaller quarterback prospects in this draft class, and also has injury concerns after missing a handful games over his career. This includes some due to a shoulder injury last season.

NFL Comparison

Tyler Huntley (Utah - 2016-19, Baltimore Ravens - 2020-22)

Highlights