The recruiting game is still going strong as we roll through the first part of 2021 with coaches looking to add to their classes over the next few years. It is Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher who was the winner this week, with the Aggies picking up a high-end 2022 recruit in Malick Sylla out of Katy (Katy, TX.) High School.
By Steve Wright
Sylla is a 4-star prospect that has graded out very highly with the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is the No. 37 player in the class according to the composite, slotting in as the No. 3 DE and the No. 7 player in Texas. 247Sports themselves actually have him grading out even better, with Sylla as the No, 13 player in the class of 2022, the No. 3 DE, and the No. 3 player in Texas per their own rankings.
Looking at Sylla it is easy to see just why he is rated so close to being a 5-star prospect. He already stands at a striking 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, giving him that elite height and frame length that coaches and scouts are looking for in their edge rushers. If Sylla is able to get his hands inside on an offensive lineman then he will simply swat them away on his path to the quarterback.
Sylla is at his best when isolated one-on-one on the outside as you can see in his video, though he is also good against the run and could add weight to be more of a hand on the ground DE as opposed to his current hybrid status. The first play of the video showcases his outrageous first step, basically allowing Sylla to be in the backfield before the offensive lineman is even out of his stance. Sylla goes on to showcase his closing speed and playmaking ability throughout the video, leaving a myriad of quarterbacks on the ground and stuffing run after run – especially in the read-option game – in the process.
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