Background

Malik Muhammad was born on September 14, 2004, in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in the city's Oak Cliff neighborhood. He attended South Oak Cliff High School, where he helped the program capture back-to-back Texas state championships and was a two-way standout at cornerback and wide receiver. As a senior, he recorded 60 tackles and 14 passes defended, returning an interception for a score in the state title game. He also competed in track and field, posting marks of 43-6.5 in the triple jump and 18-8.5 in the long jump. They selected him as an Under Armour All-American. A four-star recruit, he committed to Texas and contributed immediately as a true freshman in 2023, playing all 14 games with 31 tackles, an interception, and 4 pass breakups. He became a full-time starter as a sophomore in 2024, posting 36 tackles and 8 passes defended across all 16 games during Texas's College Football Playoff run, earning Second-Team All-American recognition. He finished his junior year with 30 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 4 pass breakups. Career totals across 41 games and 28 starts: 97 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 3 interceptions, and 16 pass deflections. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft as a junior.

Physical Attributes

Muhammad is an explosive straight-line athlete. He can keep up with just about any receiver, and his great acceleration means he can do it from a stop. However, when asked to run more curvilinear routes, or to change direction, Muhammad struggles. He seems to need an extra step to steady himself before the transition, and has a few times on tape he ends up blowing a tire and on the ground. Light in the ass, Muhammad has next to no play strength.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my CB radar charts, you can find more information here

Looks like there is a misprint somewhere, and sadly as the draft is only two days away, I wish I could find where this went wrong, but I will just have to describe it for now. Malik Muhammad did not have a 0% missed tackle rate, it was 13.9%. That number makes a lot more sense considering I saw some on tape, and he is really light in the ass. A stiff breeze could blow him over, and that is not even factoring in his poor balance!

Outside of that, Muhammad looks like a completely fine college CB. Better in zone coverage than man coverage, Muhammad has a skill for staying on top of routes. He likes to drive down to make the play, but does not have the anticipation needed to have anything more than a 4% forced incompletion rate. His feel in zone muddies the water for QBs, and he has a good intuition on when to fall off one receiver and move to the next. Sometimes, he can get caught flat-footed at the meeting point of a go, and has to work really hard to get back in phase.

Man coverage is more of a problem. With lackluster agility, strength, and curvilinear speed, Muhammad seems to always be playing from a disadvantage. I am not sure you would ever want to ask him to man up against an NFL WR unless you were in dire straits.

Muhammad makes an effort in the run game, even if his tackling is just fine. He tries to avoid blockers and is inconsistently successful in his attempts to, and when he does, can affect the play. Though once blocked, it is a question of how many yards he will be driven back before the whistle blows.

Grade and Outlook

Muhammad looks like a serviceable depth option for an NFL roster. Opposing teams will probably target him when he is on the field, but he could hold his own for 10 to 15 plays a game. At 21, he could still be on the upward trajectory of his development curve, but he needs to add at least 10 pounds while also becoming a better mover. Not likely.

Grade: 4.2 (4th Rounder)