Report: Malik McDowell has visited the Colts

The Indianapolis Colts get 30 pre-draft visits for prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft, so they’ve got to make them count. We’ve heard of several of those visits so far, and we can add another one to the list in Michigan State defensive lineman Malik McDowell.

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, McDowell has visited the Colts in addition to the Ravens, Lions and Redskins, while he’s worked out for a couple of other teams.

McDowell is one of the more interesting prospects in this year’s draft because it’s hard to know where he’ll be taken. Talent-wise, he could be a pretty high first round pick. But it seems that many people have questions about his work ethic, which has caused some people to think he might even fall out of the first round. There’s no denying his potential, however, as the 6-6, 296 pound lineman has the traits that make him incredibly intriguing to NFL coaches and scouts and that could be developed into a very good player at the pro level. During his career at Michigan State, McDowell played in 36 games and started 23 of them, recording 90 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks.

Because of the variation in opinions on where he’ll go in the draft it’s possible that he could still be available when the Colts pick (though as always, it only takes one team that likes him to change that). So it’s absolutely crucial that the Colts do their homework, and it’s likely that with McDowell they want to talk with him about any concerns they might have about his work ethic and how he’d approach working at improving and developing his game.