Malik Muhammad has been one of Texas’s bright spots on defense since he joined the Longhorns in 2023. Coming out of South Oak Cliff HS (TX) and with track and field experience to boot, Muhammad has had the kind of athleticism scouts dream of. Three years as a Longhorn led him to a 2025 Second Team All-SEC nod. A few injuries have cast doubt on whether his durability at the next level will be an issue, as he had one in 2023, 2024, and 2025 that took him out of a game. He has not had anything severe, though.
The 6’0”, 188-pound corner is not going to walk into an NFL facility immediately and become a shutdown CB1. T What he is is a boundary corner with a blistering 4.42 forty and a 39-inch vertical jump to boot. A great football IQ and SEC experience cannot be overstated.
His processing speed is genuinely exceptional. In man and zone coverage, Muhammad is exceptional at keeping up with wideouts and mirroring their catches. He will play to the whistle, too. Hip fluidity is also a bright spot for him. Muhammad will not lose speed in transition, particularly when he is in man coverage. His hips rotate cleanly, and he accelerates with video-game-like athleticism. In zone, he drops back well, reads the QB well, and can overall be a good-to-great defender at the next level.
Tackling is the big problem. Countless situations have arisen where he has missed a tackle, and it is the clearest thing between him and a higher draft stock. A career missed tackle rate of 15.4% is going to be a liability at the next level. Further, he only averaged three interceptions across 1,200 snaps. Muhammad seems to prefer batting the ball away rather than securing the interception, likely the result of being outmuscled by bigger receivers.
Scheme and Team Fit
Muhammad will be best used in run-heavy zone concepts, and the Green Bay Packers fit well in this role. I believe the Seattle Seahawks are a better option, as they have an exceptional defensive core that he could learn from.
NFL Player Comparison: Asante Samuel
Like Samuel, Muhammad’s football IQ and experience shine. The ball-hawking is the part that has to develop. Samuel had his fair share of tackling criticisms in his career, as well.
Projection: League Average Starter
Make no mistake, Muhammad is not going to be racking in several All Pros in his career unless the tackling improves. He is, in all likelihood, a day-2 or day-3 investment. This is not to say he does not have high upside, far from it. It will simply take time for him to develop, and around four to six feels right, so I’ll have him in the middle. If the tackling is corrected and he can put on some muscle, a Pro Bowl conversation a few years down the road is not out of the question. Right now, he is more CB2 or CB3 material.
Grade and Round Projection: 4.42 out of 7, Round 5 Pick
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