Scout's honor

Brown RB contends he's prepared to face the scrutiny

Mike Malan will have a workout for NFL scouts Tuesday at Brown University. This is the second in a series as CNNSI.com follows his quest for a chance to play in the NFL.

By B. Duane Cross, CNNSI.com

In less than 24 hours Mike Malan will have a better grasp on his chances of making his quest for a chance to play professional football a reality. "I've been anxious," he admits. "For the past week, that's all that has been on my mind."

Never mind the Russian Literature exam scheduled for Monday.

"I'm pretty confident," says Malan. "Three teams -- Washington, New England and Cleveland -- will have scouts here [Tuesday], and Indianapolis will be here Friday." It will be Malan's own Scouting Combine: bench press, vertical leap, 40-yard dash.

Among those on the outside looking in during the recent NFL Scouting Combine, Malan will be on exhibit at 10 a.m. EST Tuesday at Olney-Margolies Athletic Center on the Brown campus in Providence, R.I. "I read some of the articles from the Combine," he says "I saw the times of some of the other running backs. I think I can do as well." Malan will run on an indoor track surface; Combine participants ran on turf.

However, Malan admits he may have trouble with the 27 reps William Green turned in on the bench press. "I don't know that I can match that," Malan muses. "That's a lot of reps. ... But I can do well in the 40 and other drills."

He'll have to, if he wants to keep the scouts' attention. While Malan was a record-setting back at Brown, the Bears aren't exactly the Hurricanes, or Ducks, or even Bulldogs. Malan ran for 3,266 yards and 39 touchdowns in three seasons, averaging 112.6 yards per game.

By comparison, Malan's numbers stack up against the bigger names available in the April 20-21 draft: T.J. Duckett of Michigan State, DeShaun Foster of UCLA and Green of Boston College. But winning in the Ivy League is considered a bonus, not an accomplishment.

"The coaches and my teammates have been real supportive," says Malan. "And one of the campus newspapers even ran a blurb about it [the publicity surrounding his workout Tuesday].

"I think I can run in the low 4.5s, hopefully even under that, which is what I did in the fall."

Brown head coach Phil Estes says Malan is "quiet, but he always shows up on time at practice, ready to work.

"Mike is very dedicated. He's personable, but keeps to himself," says Estes. "He's much more comfortable in the weight room, but he's a team guy, too."

Malan has been the equivalent of a gym rat since the Bears' season ended, spending his time between the weight room and the classroom. "I don't have too many typical hobbies," he says. "I spend very little time doing anything outside of football, just working out and doing homework."

He does admit to one vice: McDonald's. "I'm a big fan of steak," says Malan, "but during the season, on Sundays, we'd go to McDonald's." A typical order: a No. 1 Extra Value Meal -- with four additional double cheeseburgers. "Now that I've gotten serious about training, I haven't been since, sadly," he says.

Malan admits getting scouts past the perceived small-school bias is an obstacle, but "I didn't come to Brown trying to make an impression. I'm glad I did, but I just want the chance" to make an impression on the NFL.

 

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