Film Evaluation: Maleek McNeil

There’s big and then there’s Maleek McNeil, who requires a new definition of the word.

Standing at 6-foot-8 and 340 pounds, all of that mass comes as an intriguing evaluation. He’s also a tough prospect to scout because the rising senior from Connecticut did not get to play football in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite that, McNeil was hard at work honing his body and his craft during scrimmages with his teammates this fall. But is 6-8 just too big? We’ll take a look at what offensive line coach Phil Trautwein may see in the three-star tackle’s practice film.

Important Note: Scouting notes are based on highlight videos. They should not be seen as a complete picture of the strengths and weaknesses of a prospect. As these young men are still in the early stages of their development, projections are based on positive potential and development. The 2022 class is also impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic and their evaluations should be viewed as such.

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Length: As cliche as it is, you simply cannot teach length. McNeil has that Orlando Brown Jr. and Mehki Becton size as a rising senior in high school. While each player uses their size in different ways, the defining trait about all three individuals is their condor-like arms. With an 84-inch wingspan, McNeil is like trying to get around a city block for edge rushers.

When he gets out of his stance quickly and on balance, it’s very hard to find an edge to get around for a defender. The impressive thing about McNeil is that not only does he have the length, it seems he’s consciously using it. You don’t always see that with high school prospects. He sets up with a wide base and kicks out quickly on his first step to travel a distance that most other athletes need at least two steps for.

Body Composition: It’s not often that you find a 340-pound high school player who is actually in pretty good shape. Normally players think that being as big as possible is the answer and packing on weight is good. At one point, it felt like McNeil was going that direction, maxing out around 380 pounds, but he’s been hard at work in recent months making sure that he’s put good, lean muscle mass on his frame. He’s actually nimble when he gets into the open field, running down linebackers and safeties.

It’s clear from the opening of his highlight tape that McNeil knows what coaches and teams will think about his athleticism and he’s out to prove he can be big and move.