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A sleeper edge defender that has recently been gaining some steam heading into the draft could be on the Cincinnati Bengals‘ radar.
The Bengals hosted Western Kentucky edge DeAngelo Malone on a private workout, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Wilson reports Malone also had private workouts lined up with the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. On top of that, he’ll also visit the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons along with the Colts and Broncos.
Wilson called Malone a riser in this year’s draft. Malone measured 6’3″ and 239 pounds at his pro day and was once a member of Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks” list in 2021.
Malone earned First Team All-Conference USA honors in 2021 and was the Defensive Player of the Year in Conference USA. In fact, he’s a three-time First Team All-Conference USA and two-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year (2019).
He posted 94 tackles with 17.5 tackles for a loss, nine sacks, four forced fumbles and four pass breakups in 2021. His 94 tackles led all FBS defensive linemen, the second time he did that, as he also led all linemen with 99 tackles in 2019.
Malone finished as Western Kentucky’s all-time leader in sacks with 34 and is second all-time during the Hilltoppers’ FBS era (since 2009) with 349 career total tackles, just one behind Devon Key’s 350.
Malone can bring speed on the outside. He ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at his pro day. He may not have the greatest measurables, but he has the talent and speed to get after quarterbacks. He’s projected as a mid-round pick, perhaps as high as round three.
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