Malik Boynton, DB, Austin Peay 2018 NFL Draft Prospect

Academics: AD Honor Roll (F15, S17)

As a junior: Broke up a pair of passes and made nine tackles in the home opener against Tennessee Tech, Sept. 10… season-best 10 stops included a tackle for loss in the Oct. 1 contest against Murray State… made eight tackles, including a share of a stop behind the line of scrimmage, at Jacksonville State, Oct. 15… suffered injury in the Oct. 22 contest against Mercer and was out for the season’s remainder.

As a sophomore: Made a seamless transition to the secondary and emerged not only as a contributor but wound up starting every game… in first game, recorded nine tackles (six solo) and shared a tackle for loss… recorded seven tackles (five solo) and a pass break-up at Eastern Kentucky… followed that up a week later in a return to the Commonwealth State with a nine-tackle, one-TFL performance against Murray State… recorded nine tackles and broke up a pass against Jacksonville State… five tackles, all solo, and a tackle for loss on a rain-soaked day at Tennessee State.

As a freshman: A stand-out wide receiver in 2014, his 25 catches was second-most among Govs… had five catches in his first home appearance against Chattanooga… his lone catch at Mercer was a seven-yard touchdown reception… more than doubled his receiving yardage totals in the season’s last two games against Southeast Missouri (five catches, 54 yards) and Tennessee Tech (four catches, 57 yards).

High School: On offense caught 65 passes for 1,187 yards at Melvindale High School… on defense was credited with 55 tackles while forcing three fumbles… intercepted four passes… selected All-State as wide receiver-defensive back-specialist… also voted Detroit News and Detroit Free Press all-conference… Offense-Defense All-American Bowl honoree as a senior.

Personal: Son of Kippriol Boynton and the late Pamela Boynton… born June 30.

Boynton arrived on campus at Austin Peay as a receiver, but coaching asked him to switch positions. He eventually turned into the centerpiece of their secondary and went above and beyond the norm for playing different positions, a testament to his high football IQ, athleticism and unselfishness.

With the Governors’ he played receiver his freshman season, boundary safety his sophomore year, free safety his junior season and nickel his senior year. Boynton displays good hands and attacks the ball in the air. Good zone awareness and can mirrors well in man coverage. Explosive and smart. A very solid and stout tackler who shows a good tenacity in the run game and is eager to locate the football snap after snap. Smooth transition turning hips and shows very good ball skills. He has that short-area burst and shows good recovery speed. Footwork is a bit raw and will need touched up, but he brings a lot of solid attributes to the position. Diligent studier of game film.

Great character guy who surely impress during his Gridiron sit downs with NFL Scouts from the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings.

Likely a priority free agent at the end of the day but feel once he gets his chance in camp he will establish trust with the coaching staff through his demeanor and ability. Boynton is a talented solid young man with upside.