The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Malik Washington.
Malik Washington 2024 NFL COMBINE RESULTS
- Height: 5-foot-8 ½
- Weight: 191 pounds
- 40-yard dash: 4.47 seconds
- 10-yard split: 1.53 seconds
- 20-yard shuttle: DNP
- Vertical jump: 42.5"
- Broad jump: 10'6"
- Arm length: 30 ⅜"
Malik Washington 2024 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
STRENGTHS
- Naturally quick route runner with light, active, sudden feet both through and at top of stem to create separation.
- Low center of gravity and compact build resulted in sharp, decisive cuts without losing quickness or speed.
- High-level athleticism re: balance and body control to contort his body.
- Made catches away from frame with soft yet strong hands. Despite lacking length, had expansive catch radius.
- Outstanding focus and concentration on throws where he knew that there was heavy traffic and that contact was likely.
- Ran seams and slot fades making tough vertical catches. Consistently extended beyond his frame. Late hands
- Short-area quickness and initial burst to defeat press coverage from the slot on quick-timing routes like slants.
- Smooth, efficient run after catch with strong combination of lateral agility, contact balance and physicality.
WEAKNESSES
- Obvious concern is lack of length. Will that be an issue, or will smart deployment re: formation-motion limit it?
- Did not see many routes where he had to work against tight man coverage or had his vertical stem disrupted.
- Will need to work on route-running detail and nuance to defeat quality man coverage he will face in the NFL.
- Does not possess elite, top-end speed to be true vertical weapon, but he can be off motion with free access.
- Not the kind of receiver who will make tough contested catches vs. tight coverage or highpoint the ball.
NFL TRANSITION
Washington is a fun receiver to watch with the explosiveness he plays with and the run-after-catch traits that make it difficult for defenses to get him to the ground. He's a short, compactly built receiver who has both outstanding route quickness and run-after-catch ability. But what constantly stands out is his focus and hands almost always making catches away from his frame with elite body control to adjust and contort and outstanding ball tracking skills. Despite his size, he has the mental and physical toughness to catch through contact and in traffic when contact is imminent.
The other trait that showed up throughout his tape was his ability — despite his size and shorter arms — to maximize his catch radius and make the kinds of catches you would not expect to see from a 5-foot-8 ½ receiver with just over 30-inch arms.
While there are clear limitations to Washington’s game, the evolution of the NFL passing game — with much more quick game, motion, stack and bunch formations and reduced splits — will allow him free access into his routes. That will mitigate his smaller size and allow him to be a factor. Depending on the team and overall scheme, he could become a volume target.
Washington is an explosive weapon with the ball in his hands, and the team that drafts him will know and understand that. That team's pass offense will already be structured to allow a player such as Washington to be a factor.
He is not the vertical dimension that Jaylen Waddle is (similar height/weight measurables) and therefore cannot regulate and take the top off the defense in the same way. But Washington’s natural quickness and explosiveness and run-after-catch ability demands you get the ball in his hands.
OTHER NOTES
Washington played his final college season at Virginia after spending his first four seasons at Northwestern. He had an outstanding year with the Cavaliers: 110-1426-13-9 TD. Washington originally came out of Georgia as a 3-star recruit.
Washington was predominantly a slot receiver in Virginia’s offense in 2023 with 110 of his 142 targets coming inside and 88 of his 110 receptions for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns. Washington was featured at times as the motion receiver in Virginia’s offense and was also used at times on jet sweeps — he ran through North Carolina State LB Payton Wilson on a 59-yard tunnel screen reception.
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