Malcolm Kelly profile

[MTK]

NFL Events: Draft Player Profiles - Malcolm Kelly



Malcolm Kelly (WR)
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 218
College: Oklahoma
Conference: Big 12
Hometown: Longview, TX
High School: Longview
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Overview In a program known for its running game, Malcolm Kelly might not have gotten as many opportunities as other lead receivers.

He made the most of the chances he did have, making the passing game another weapon in the Sooners' arsenal over the last three years from the split end position.

Despite playing only three seasons at Oklahoma, he finished his career as the school's fifth-leading receiver with 144 catches. He also ranks second on the Sooners' all-time record list for receiving yardage (2,285), touchdown catches (21) and games with at least 100 yards receiving (nine). His 21 scoring receptions also rank tied for seventh in Big Twelve Conference history.

At Longview High School, Kelly was a three-time All-District first-team wide receiver, adding All-State accolades as a junior and senior. He was named first-team All-East Texas by the Texas Sports Writers Association. He received a five-star prospect rating from Scout.com and four stars from Rivals.com. Rivals.com also rated him sixth on their Texas Top 100 List. He was rated the best receiver in Texas by Scout.com and 13th in the nation by ESPN.com.

Kelly hauled in 29 passes for 638 yards (22-yard average) and nine touchdowns during his senior campaign. During his junior year, he was credited with 27 receptions for 826 yards (30.6 avg), including six scores.

Oklahoma won a recruiting war vs. LSU, Nebraska, Texas and Tennessee for Kelly's services in 2005. He was named to The Sporting News' Freshman All-American team as an honorable mention and All-Big Twelve Conference first-team. He started seven of 11 games, lining up for five contests at flanker before shifting to split end for the final two contests. The true freshman paced the Sooners with 471 yards on 33 catches (14.3-yard average), coming up with a pair of touchdowns.

Firmly entrenched at split end, Kelly received second-team All-Big Twelve Conference honors in 2006. He led the team in receiving for the second straight year, coming up with a career-high 62 receptions for 993 yards (16.0-yard average) and 10 touchdowns. He also posted one solo tackle. He averaged 70.93 yards receiving per game, the fifth-best total in the league that year, but he had a concussion early in the year vs. Texas A&M and suffered knee cartilage damage vs. Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl and was limited in 2007 spring drills.

Kelly helped break in a new quarterback in Sam Bradford in 2007, as the receiver earned All-Big Twelve second-team recognition. He ranked second on the team, grabbing 49 passes for 821 yards (16.8-yard average) and nine touchdowns. He missed most of the Oklahoma State clash with a hip pointer suffered on the game's first play and for the second straight year, he made an early exit from the Fiesta Bowl with a leg contusion.

In 39 games at Oklahoma, Kelly started 34 times, including 29 at split end and five more at flanker. He finished with 144 receptions for 2,285 yards (15.9-yard average) and 21 touchdowns. He also recorded a pair of solo tackles.

Career Notes Kelly ranks fifth in school history with 144 receptions, topped by 221 Mark Clayton (221, 2001-04), Quentin Griffin (169, 1999-2002), Trent Smith (164, 1999-02) and Antwone Savage (157, 1999-2002)...His 2,285 yards receiving are topped only by Mark Clayton (3,241) on Oklahoma's all-time list...His 21 touchdown catches also rank second behind Clayton's 31 scoring grabs...Gained over 100 yards receiving in nine games. Only Mark Clayton (15) had more 100-yard receiving performances for the Sooners...His 62 catches in 2006 rank sixth on the school's single-season chart, surpassed by Mark Clayton (83 in 2003 and 66 in 2004), Trent Smith (66 in 2001), Quentin Griffin (64 in 2001) and Eddie Hinton (64 in 1968)...Totaled 993 yards receiving in 2006, the third-best season total in Oklahoma annals behind Mark Clayton (1,425 in 2003) and Eddie Hinton (1,034 in 1968)... His 821 yards receiving in 2007 rank sixth on the school's annual receiving chart...Had ten touchdown catches in 2006 and nine scoring grabs in 2007, ranking behind Mark Clayton (15 in 2004) and Travis Wilson (11 in 2004) on the school's season-record list...Came up with five 100-yard receiving performances in 2006, topped only by Mark Clayton (eight in 2003) on Oklahoma's annual record books...His eleven receptions vs. Texas Tech in 2006 tied the school game-record that was set by Trent Smith vs. Kansas in 2001 and also by Josh Norman, vs. Texas Tech in 2001...His three touchdown catches vs. Miami in 2007 was one shy of the Sooners game-record of four scores by Trent Smith in the 2001 Kansas Clash...Gained a career-high 164 yards receiving vs. Middle Tennessee in 2006, tying Eddie Hinton (vs. Oklahoma State in 1965) for the fifth-best game total in school annals, surpassed by 190 Mark Clayton (190 vs. Texas and 166 vs. Texas A&M, 2003), Corey Warren (187 vs. Texas, 1992) and Ben Hart (165 vs. Florida State, 1965)...His 153 yards in the 2006 Texas Tech clash rank eighth on the school's game-record chart...Gained 1,000 yards receiving in just 19 games, breaking the previous school record set by Antwone Savage (21 games, 1999-2002)...In 2005, he became the fourth freshman to lead the Sooners in receiving and the first since Steve Rhodes in 1976 (six for 160), catching 33 passes for 471 yards.

High School Attended Longview (Tex.) High School, playing football for head coach John King...Three-time All-District first-team wide receiver, adding All-State accolades as a junior and senior...Named first-team All-East Texas by the Texas Sports Writers Association...Also received a five-star prospect rating from Scout.com and four stars from Rivals.com... Rivals.com rated him sixth on their Texas Top 100 List...Rated the best receiver in Texas by Scout.com and 13th in the nation by ESPN.com...Hauled in 29 passes for 638 yards (22.0-yard average) and nine touchdowns during his senior campaign...During his junior year, he was credited with 27 receptions for 826 yards (30.6 avg), including six scores.

Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.

[MTK]

Analysis

Positives: Has a solid build with good upper-body muscle definition, long arms and legs, big thighs and calves, good bubble, tight skin and room to carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk without having the additional weight impact his foot speed...Big-time playmaker who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball and must be accounted for at all times...Tough receiver who isn't afraid to take a hit...Has very large, natural hands with decent deep speed (more quick than fast), as his long legs and running stride let him consistently eat up the cushion and get behind the defensive back...Has the outstanding ability to change direction in an instant, doing a good job of adjusting his body to off-target tosses...Combines good strength and burst to beat the jam and elude tacklers...Displays the natural ability to catch with his hands extended outside the frame...Aggressive cut blocker who won't back down and thrives when he gets the ball in pressure situations...Fights for the ball along the sideline, keeping his feet inbounds...Has super quickness off the snap and into his routes, showing good precision in his breaks...Might lack explosion, but he comes off the line with good power and finesse, as he stays under control through his patterns, running sharp, crisp routes and using his strength and size to bust through the jam...Can gain ground and separate in space...Shows no wasted movement, as he is effective at dropping his weight getting into his patterns, which is surprising to see as most tall receivers don't have the fluid hips or elusiveness that Kelly displays...Does a good job of reading coverage and adjusting in his routes, especially when working underneath...Has the ability to pull away from second-level defenders after the catch, using his strength to break arm tackles...Alert to pocket pressure, showing urgency working back to the ball...Solid short-area receiver that gets his head around quickly to locate the ball, remaining focused going for the ball in a crowd, as he knows how to use his frame to shield defenders...Plucks and secures the ball with ease and can take a hit and hold on to the ball working through traffic (knows how to use his height and long arms to his advantage)...Lacks suddenness in his initial step, but he has the quickness to separate, can fade into the open area and easily track the ball in flight...Even though he is a big target, he can bend, reach and jump for the ball while staying in control and maintaining his stride (has better ability to adjust in his intermediate and deep routes than in the short area)...Finds the ball in flight quickly and has the flexibility to adjust to it in the air...With his long arms and explosive leaping, he will win most jump balls...Shows elusiveness and strength after the catch, as he can either make the first defender miss or run through arm tackles...Good position blocker to seal off and shows proper hand placement to sustain blocks.

Negatives: Lacks the short steps and quick feet, but does get good depth in his route progression with his long stride...Perhaps a product of the team's reliance on its ground game, he will disappear for long stretches...A good blocker, he is basically a non-factor without the ball in his hands...Will usually run crisp routes but he will glide out of his breaks, possibly because of the hip pointer he suffered vs. Oklahoma State...Keeps his head on a swivel to locate the ball, but is more effective as a receiver in the open field, as he does not show the same burst as smaller receivers when catching in the short area...Not really an explosive player, but does use his body lean and initial contact strike to create separation.

Compares To: LARRY FITZGERALD-Arizona...Like Fitzgerald, Kelly takes advantage of his size and strength to break arm tackles rather than trying to get fancy with moves when trying to separate. Both have some of the best natural hands in the game, as Kelly was charted with only one dropped pass in the last two years. Perhaps due to the team's reliance on the running game, he will disappear for stretches on the field. But when he gets into that rhythm he will catch everything in site. Some teams might prefer Indiana's James Hardy, but Kelly is a more natural receiver and comes with no off-field baggage. Could be a perfect fit in Cincinnati with Carson Palmer if Cincinnati trades Chad Johnson.

Injury Report

2006: Suffered a slight concussion vs. Texas A&M (11/04)...Left the Fiesta Bowl (1/01/07) in the first quarter with cartilage damage in his knee, undergoing surgery that kept him sidelined for 2007 spring camp.

2007: Suffered a hip pointer on the first series of the Oklahoma State clash (11/24) and saw just a few snaps in that contest...Suffered a leg contusion early in the first quarter vs. West Virginia (1/02/08) in the Fiesta Bowl and did not return to the game.

Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.

[MTK]

Growing up, who was your favorite NFL player and why?
Michael Irvin, he played for the Cowboys and he was unstoppable.

In college, what player hit you the hardest? Who was the recipient of your best hit?
Michael Griffin -- Texas.

What TV-show marathon will keep you on the couch all day?
Martin.

What are the five most-played songs in your iPod? What's the one song you hope nobody ever finds out is in your iPod?
Luther Vandross -- Hous is not a home, Biggie Smalls -- Warning, Biggie Smalls -- Room 112, Lil' Wayne -- any Lil' Wayne, Big Hawk -- I'm on that other.

What celebrity would play you in the movie version of your life and why?
Denzel Washington because he can act out anything.

What's your proudest moment in football? Proudest moment off the field?
Big 12 championship game, broke records wth yards and receptions. Accepting the Lord and getting involved in a charity.

When you play Madden, what team do you use? Do you put yourself on the team?
This year it was the Lions. no

Who has been the biggest influence on your football career and how?
My parents. My mom was diagnosed with lupus years ago and forced her out of work just leaving my dad to work. I made a promise that no one would have to work once I made it.

[The Goat]

Aside from the injuries I like Kelly's profile over Thomas'. He's bigger which should make things easier for JC.

[NM Redskin]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Analysis

Positives: Has a solid build with good upper-body muscle definition, long arms and legs, big thighs and calves, good bubble,

Good bubble?

[SmootSmack]

Another side to Malcolm Kelly

Malcolm said, “I wanted this to be the first thing I did to begin my career as a professional athlete. I’m not even in the league yet, but I know how important it is to do the right things in the right way. Mercy Ships is all about that. They deliver free, life-changing medical assistance to people in Africa and third world countries that need help the most. As an African-American, I feel a connection there. I just hope that this first small step will help shed light and get the word out on what an incredible organization Mercy Ships is.”

Malcolm Kelly Mercy Ships

[The Goat]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Another side to Malcolm Kelly



Malcolm Kelly Mercy Ships

Very cool. I think I might like him best out of the three picks.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by The Goat

Very cool. I think I might like him best out of the three picks.

At 21 he doesn't look so good. But at 51...he looks great

[GridIron26]

Originally Posted by The Goat

Very cool. I think I might like him best out of the three picks.

Me too..

[Dirtbag59]

I can dig the Larry Fitzgerald comparison, but then again they also said that Andre Caldwell compares to Hines Ward so I'll take it with a grain of salt.

[chrisl13]

Originally Posted by The Goat

Aside from the injuries I like Kelly's profile over Thomas'. He's bigger which should make things easier for JC.

Yeah, but Thomas has the speed and is really strong.
But I like Kelly over Thomas too

[Stuck in TX]

Yeah when you compare Kelly to Thomas, Kelly is a steal. Welcome to the Skins! We will let the Micheal Irvin comment go...

[Beemnseven]

Can someone explain what "split end" means?

[Duffman003]

Originally Posted by NM Redskin

Good bubble?

bubble=butt thus the phrase "bubble butt"

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

Can someone explain what "split end" means?

• Split end (X or SE): A receiver on the line of scrimmage, necessary to meet the rule requiring seven such players at snap. Where applicable, this receiver is on the opposite side of the tight end. The split end is farthest from center on his side of the field.[4]