Bulls NFL Draft Prospect : Malcolm Koonce

A lot of attention has been given to UB Running back Jaret Patterson in this years draft but UB is also sending an amazing edge rusher into this years field and as the draft approaches he has been getting more and more attention.

Malcolm Koonce played defensive end for Buffalo, he does not really have the size to run that position in the NFL but because of his explosiveness on the outside, the all conference level but is getting looked at as an outside linebacker by many NFL teams.

Koonce moved into the starting lineup at Buffalo in 2019 and racked up 34 tackles, 11 for loss, including a MAC-best nine sacks, and three forced fumbles in 13 games. In 2020, he led the Bulls with five sacks six starts.

While he might be a tad on the smaller side for an NFL edge rusher, Koonce more than makes up for that with his athleticism. He has good length and blasts off the line very well. Those two things help him generate solid separation from blockers. Koonce has a great burst in the backfield and has a solid small but well refined collection of moves to use to get to quarterbacks.

With an NFL weights program Koonce can easily achieve the size of a prototypical NFL outside linebacker and he has a great instinct for the game that cannot be taught. He’s raw but all the bones are there for a solid player at the next level.

As a developmental project with a potentially big upside Koonce could go in rounds 4-7, I’ve seen quite a few mock drafts that have him going to Chicago in the later rounds.