Based on the fact that he played every position possible at the first and second level of the defense over his four-year Texas career, Malcolm Roach was going to enter the process leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft with versatility as his biggest asset to sell. What Roach needed was something to grab the attention of pro scouts and front office personnel, and he definitely gave them something to think about at the NFL Scouting Combine last month.
Roach put his best foot forward in Indianapolis, clocking a 4.84 40-yard dash while weighing in at 297 pounds. En route to being named a 2020 All-Combine Team selection by NFL.com for his performance, Bleacher Report NFL draft lead analyst Matt Miller told Horns247 recently during an on-air interview on Light The Tower on Austin’s 104.9 FM The Horn said Roach’s combine outing earned him some much-needed buzz.
The showing effectively put Roach squarely on the NFL’s radar in one of the few pre-draft settings where he was able to show off his skills. Measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, commonly known as the coronavirus, have taken private workouts and pro day events out of the equation for draft hopefuls ahead of the draft’s April 23 start date, meaning Roach needed the combine to go the way it did in the worst possible way.
“It’s funny because Roach was not a guy that there was any buzz on him as an end,” Miller said with the NFL.com recognition even labeling Roach as a 3-4 defensive end. “Then you move inside and go, ‘OK, let’s see where we can take you.’ He’s an interesting prospect because [those who follow the Texas program] have seen his development from being a much smaller guy when he got there in Austin to where he is now and you see the athleticism.”
To Miller’s point, Roach was listed at 263 pounds as a true freshman when he played in all 12 games for the Longhorns under former head coach Charlie Strong, started five contests and set what would be a career-high-tying three sacks while manning the Fox end position (a hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end). Roach made the move to defensive end in 2017 upon the arrival of head coach Tom Herman and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando on the Forty Acres, but he managed to log three starts at the B-backer position (Orlando’s hybrid edge defender) in a 2018 season where missed five games due to a broken foot before starting 12 of 13 games as a senior (Roach missed the first half of the Kansas game due to a targeting penalty levied against him in a loss to Oklahoma the week prior) end.
Roach also saw time at inside linebacker in 2018, the same season where he began playing situationally over the ball as a nose tackle when the Longhorns wanted to bolster the pass rush and put more speed on the field. What Roach showed at the combine, Miller said, is the potential to do what the Texas coaches occasionally asked of him on a much more consistent basis.
“Everyone wants that interior pass rush, especially now when we’re getting all of these mobile quarterbacks,” Miller said. “You want to collapse the pocket from inside and then contain on the edge and he fits that. Having 4.8 speed at 300 pounds, you’re getting that interior push and I think for Roach it’s exciting because there’s still potential.
“There’s still development ahead of him.”
Roach didn’t really fill out the stat sheet in his time with the Longhorns, recording 134 total tackles (83 solos), 22.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, three pass breakups and one blocked kick in 47 games. With that said, it was hard to quantify what Roach brought to the table given that he was asked to mainly play the run and occupy blockers as a 4i end in Orlando’s scheme (one where the ends played pinched in closer to the ball and rarely kicked outside to a wider shade to rush the passer).
If an NFL team decides to make Roach a three-technique tackle and turn him into a developmental prospect with legitimate potential to impact the opponent’s passing game, Miller thinks Roach could be a diamond in the rough for a franchise willing to take a chance on him.
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“With Roach, you feel like this guy is just starting to scratch the surface of what he can become as an interior pass rusher because you just don’t see that athleticism [in every prospect],” Miller said. “Then you go to the tape and you watch and you see a guy who’s constantly running down sweeps, running down the screen game and you see the effort and the hustle and that makes it fun.
“This guy is a good athlete, but you actually get a good motor to match.”
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