Pittsburgh Steelers Film Room: Linebacker Malik Jefferson
The Negative Traits
Perhaps the only negatives on Malik Jefferson are his focus on the game and his effort on certain plays. You have to have those two things as a player to be successful at any level.
There was a time where Jefferson was not focused on football as much as he should have been. This seems to have been corrected as he had a very productive 2017.
Although the correction seems to have been made, it will linger in the minds of NFL GM’s whether he will lose focus again. Players have to be able to be trusted to focus on their game and stay focused throughout the grueling NFL season.
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Jefferson’s effort on plays was lacking many times in the tapes I watched. When he plays hard and gives effort he is an absolute force.
However, the plays he “took off”, for lack of a better term, could have ended differently had he gone full-bore. Effort is one thing an NFL player has to have if he wants to make an impact or even keep a job long in the league.
The only other knock on his play would be block shedding ability. He seems to have trouble fighting off blocks and that helps blockers create holes where he cannot get free.
An NFL coach can likely correct this by teaching better technique. NFL strength and conditioning programs can also help him hone in on the strength he possesses and use it to his advantage more often.