Malique' Franklin

Physical Profile

The frame is the headline trait. At 6-6 and 250-252 pounds he is high-cut and long-levered, with the kind of rangy build that Power Four strength staffs typically carry to 265-275 without losing bend — Alabama's development track for edge bodies. His length is a functional weapon in three phases: it lets him stack and extend against tackles who can't reach his chest plate, it creates natural passing-lane disruption (three blocked kicks as a senior — two field goals and a punt — is not an accident at this height), and it widens his chase radius on plays run away from him. The multi-sport background matters here: basketball explains the change-of-direction and hand quickness in his rush, and track explains the closing burst that shows on chase-down tackles for loss. The trade-off inherent to the build is a raised center of gravity and a currently light lower half — at 250 on a 6-6 frame, he is not yet built to hold a point against a 320-pound SEC tackle on down blocks.

Play Style

Franklin plays as a wide-alignment speed rusher who wins early or chases late. On tape the pattern is consistent: he threatens the tackle's outside shoulder immediately off the snap, forces a deep vertical set, and either turns the corner or converts to a chase player. He is disruptive rather than technically dominant — he creates negative plays through length, burst, and relentlessness rather than by defeating blocks with defined hand technique. Against the run he is more effective slanting and penetrating on the move than anchoring in place, and his best run-defense reps come backside where his range lets him run down plays from the far hash. The special-teams production (three blocked kicks) reflects both the length and the effort level. What is not yet on film is a rusher who wins on the second and third move, or a defensive lineman who consistently holds a two-gap responsibility.

Strengths

• First-step burst and get-off — the 11 sacks and 19 quarterback hurries came largely off pure edge speed and timing rather than a developed rush plan, which means the production is a floor rather than a ceiling once technique is added.
• Elite length for the position at 6-6, producing a wide tackle radius, natural pass-deflection ability, and three blocked kicks as a senior; he affects plays he doesn't physically reach.
• Backside range and effort — 23 tackles for loss out of 98 total tackles indicates he was living in the offensive backfield, and the chase-down production reflects a track-caliber second gear and a motor that runs through the whistle.
• Positional trajectory — he produced at this level with roughly one season of defensive reps. The rate of improvement over a single year is the most encouraging data point in the file.

Areas to Improve

• Pass-rush plan and hand usage. He wins on athleticism, not counters. He needs a defined move-to-counter progression (long-arm, cross-chop, inside spin off the speed rush) because SEC tackles will not lose to a straight-line speed rush the way 7A high school tackles did.
• Play strength and anchor. At 250 pounds on a 6-6 frame he can be washed on double teams and drive-blocked at the point of attack. He needs 15-25 pounds of functional mass plus lower-body strength work before he can hold up on early downs.
• Pad level and technical consistency. Tall rushers with one year of position experience typically play too upright; his leverage, hand placement, and gap discipline in the run game are the least developed parts of his tape and the most likely reason for an early redshirt.
• Run-game recognition. One year at the position means limited exposure to blocking schemes — reading down blocks, pullers, and combo blocks in real time is the skill he has had the least time to build.

College Projection

Realistic timeline is redshirt-or-limited-role as a true freshman, primarily special teams where his kick-block ability has immediate value, followed by a rotational passing-down rush role in year two. He is a developmental signing on a roster that does not need him to play early, which is the ideal circumstance for this profile — Alabama can spend 12-18 months adding mass and building a rush plan without pressing him into snaps. The projection hinges almost entirely on where his body settles: at 265-270 with retained burst he is a starting SEC edge by year three; if he carries weight poorly and loses the get-off, he becomes a situational rusher. Signing with an in-state program he grew up near, and enrolling early enough to get a full offseason in the strength program, both work in his favor.

NFL Outlook

Too early to project draft position, and the honest read is that his ranking (borderline three-/four-star depending on service — No. 44 EDGE nationally, No. 17 in Alabama on the composite) understates the physical ceiling while accurately reflecting the technical floor. The 6-6 frame with basketball-track athleticism is the archetype NFL teams draft on traits, and edge is the position where late developers get the most patience. But he needs three years of Power Four production before the conversation is real — the realistic path is a Day 3 developmental edge if he becomes a rotational SEC contributor, with Day 2 upside only if the added mass comes without a loss of burst and he develops a genuine rush plan. Any projection higher than that right now is projecting the frame, not the player.

Best Fit

An odd-front or multiple scheme that lets him play as a stand-up outside linebacker/edge in a wide alignment, where his length and get-off are assets and he isn't asked to two-gap while he builds mass — precisely what Alabama runs. He needs a program with (a) an elite strength staff to add 15-25 pounds without compromising his athleticism, (b) veteran edge depth in front of him so he can develop for two years without being forced into early snaps, and (c) a position coach with a track record of teaching hand technique to converted athletes. A program that needs him to start as a true freshman would be the worst possible landing spot for this profile.