Texas fans got an unexpected surprise Friday morning when Baton Rouge (LA) Madison Prep defensive end Malcolm Roach announced that he would be committing to the University of Texas. The third Louisiana prospect in the Texas class chose the Longhorns over offers from Arizona, Arkansas, California, Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Texas Tech. The Longhorns are in desperate need of talented bodies at the defensive end position, and Roach is a prospect who has the ability to play both strong and weak side at the next level.
Out of state recruiting has become a hallmark approach for Charlie Strong as he raided South Florida last season. This season he has been successful recruiting Louisiana which is another talent hotbed in the southeast. With Shiro Davis moving on after this season and Bryce Cottrell entering his senior year, the depth at defensive end is starting to look a bit thin. The Roach commitment gives them something nice to build on as they close down the home stretch with their other defensive end targets.
Film Analysis:
Roach is a big, solid kid at 6’4 255 lbs. He plays linebacker for his high school team and also doubles at tight end which shows coordination and athletic ability. He has a decent first step off the line but shows some real closing speed when he locks on to his target. Roach is strong at the point of attack and sheds blockers well playing the run both inside and outside. In coverage he looks stiff, but is still able to make some plays on his highlight film. He will need to do some work on his tackling because many times he just throws a shoulder into the ball carrier and should get more consistent wrapping up and driving through. When he does find the ball carrier he usually has bad intentions and hits with a pretty incredible force. The most impressive thing about Roach other than size and athleticism is the motor that comes with it. He constantly pursues the ball and makes opposing blockers work each time he’s on the field. He’s sturdy enough to play on the strong side, but athletic enough to feature on the weak side and should grow with the benefit of a college strength and conditioning program.
Final Verdict:
Texas was needing some good news and this one came out of left field. Roach is an incredibly raw prospect, but he has great size and athleticism which should only help him get better with proper coaching. If he can apply that coaching and realize his potential then he becomes a very valuable prospect for NFL teams.
