DeAngelo Malone
refer to caption
Malone in 2022
No. 51 – Atlanta Falcons
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1999-07-12) July 12, 1999
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:Cedar Grove
(Ellenwood, Georgia)
College:Western Kentucky (2017–2021)
NFL Draft:2022 / Round: 3 / Pick: 82
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× C-USA Defensive Player of the Year (2019, 2021)
  • 3× First-team All-C-USA (2019–2021)
Career NFL statistics as of 2022
Total tackles:29
Sacks:1.0
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

DeAngelo Malone (born July 12, 1999) is an American football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Kentucky.

Early years

Malone grew up in Ellenwood, Georgia and originally attended Martin Luther King Jr. High School before transferring to Cedar Grove High School.[1] He recorded 49 tackles with eight tackles for loss and was named first-team All-State and All-Metro by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as Cedar Grove won the AAA state championship.[2] Rated a three-star recruit, Malone committed to play college football at Western Kentucky over an offer from Buffalo.[3]

College career

Malone became a starter for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers during his freshman year and recorded 25 tackles, 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries.[3] As a sophomore, he was named honorable mention All-Conference USA (C-USA)after finishing the season with 60 tackles, nine tackles for loss, six sacks, and eight quarterback hurries with two forced fumbles.[4] In his junior season, Malone made 99 total tackles and was fourth in the nation with tackles 21 for loss and 12th in the nation with 11.5 sacks and also had 16 quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. He was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-C-USA.[5]

Malone considered entering the 2020 NFL Draft, but ultimately decided to return for his senior year.[6] Malone entered senior season on the Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy watchlists and was named the preseason C-USA Defensive Player of the Year and as one of the top five outside linebacker prospects for the 2021 NFL draft according to ESPN.[7][8][9][10]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 3+1⁄4 in
(1.91 m)		 243 lb
(110 kg)		 33+1⁄8 in
(0.84 m)		 9+7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		4.60 s1.60 s2.69 s4.36 s7.06 s35.5 in
(0.90 m)		9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		23 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[11][12]
Malone in his rookie season.

Malone was drafted in the third round with the 82nd pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft.[13] The Falcons previously obtained the pick in the trade that sent Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts.[14] Malone recorded his first professional sack in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals.[15]

Personal life

Malone is first cousins with Justin Shaffer who also was drafted by the Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Pourtout, E. Marcel (January 2, 2018). "Local Dekalb County athletes lead football teams to success in bowl season". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  2. ↑ Holcomb, Todd (January 7, 2020). "Class AAA players in college football: Cedar Grove leads with 32". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Stephens, Brad (September 20, 2018). "Hilltopper DE Malone coming off career game". The Daily News. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  4. ↑ Pratt, Elliott (October 2, 2019). "WKU's Malone stands apart as one of nation's top defensive linemen". The Daily News. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  5. ↑ MacDonald, Jared (September 11, 2020). "PICK YOUR POISON: Malone, Jones providing leadership on Tops defense". The Daily News. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  6. ↑ Johnson, Teran (January 5, 2020). "Hilltoppers DE DeAngelo Malone Returning for Senior Year". WNKY.com. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  7. ↑ Brown, James (July 13, 2020). "DeAngelo Malone makes 2020 Bednarik watch list". ESPNRadio1061.com. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ Brugler, Dane (September 23, 2020). "Meet the Prospect: DeAngelo Malone's special athleticism drawing NFL eyes". The Athletic. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ Pickens, Jim (July 25, 2020). "WKU's Malone among nation's best DEs in 2020". Messenger-Inquirer. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ McShay, Todd (August 26, 2020). "2021 NFL draft rankings: Todd McShay's preseason top 50 prospects in the class, plus position ranks". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  11. ↑ "DeAngelo Malone Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  12. ↑ "2022 Draft Scout DeAngelo Malone, Western Kentucky NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  13. ↑ "2022 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  14. ↑ Bair, Scott (April 29, 2022). "Falcons select OLB DeAngelo Malone with No. 82 overall 2022 NFL Draft pick". Atlanta Falcons. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Atlanta Falcons at Cincinnati Bengals - October 23rd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  16. ↑ Bair, Scott; McElhaney, Tori (April 30, 2022). "Falcons select OL Justin Shaffer No. 190 overall in 2022 NFL Draft". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
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