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Ten 2017 NFL Draft prospects facing draft-day tumbles

Reuben Foster is one of the NFL Draft prospects who needs to have a big pro day

Malik McDowell, defensive tackle, Michigan State

One of the most physically dominant defensive players in the draft, there’s surely some reason to believe McDowell will go within the top 20 later this month. There’s little doubting what he can bring to the table in that regard. Unfortunately, there’s also some major concern over McDowell’s work ethic, making him a boom or bust prospect.

“He has a chance to be a dominant player in our league. I mean dominant. It hasn’t turned on for him all the way yet but if it does, he could be like Mario Williams,” A scout told NFL.com recently. “He’s just a little lazy and I worry about whether he is going to be a self-starter.”

This has to be considered a major concern, especially from the defensive line. If a prospect is seen as taking plays off, teams won’t value him as a three-down player. Once that happens, said prospect shoots down the draft boards in a big way.

Sharrif Floyd was a prime example of this back in 2013. He was considered a top-five prospect heading in before falling to Minnesota within the final 10 picks of the first round. We might see a repeat of this with McDowell later in the month.

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