Malik Lovette is a versatile offensive recruit with the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Malik Lovette is one of the top offensive recruits in the country. Listed by most as a running back or receiver, he is 5'11, 180 lbs. and plays for Redlands (Calif.) East Valley High School. Lovette is a consensus four-star recruit, and has offers from USC, Cal, Notre Dame, and other schools who recruit the West Coast quite well.
Scouting by Derrell Warren (@yssd): Lovette is compact, and has the frame to eventually add enough lean bulk to get around 205 pounds.
While Lovette's high school team lines him up at various spots over the offensive formation, he possesses both the size and baseline skill set to project favorably to both sides of the ball, particularly at running back and safety.
Most of Lovette's touches on offense come either as a slot receiver or as a running back from the pistol formation in plays designed to get him to the edge. He shows good first-step quickness. He carries well, but does not necessarily own elite track-type speed.
As a runner, Lovette has room for growth. He currently projects as more of an all-purpose back as opposed to a heavy-volume runner who can act as the foundation of his team's running game. Whether that assessment holds true long-term is dependent upon how he develops as an in between the tackles back.
His athleticism and frame give him the ceiling of an eventual all-conference type of back, especially once he devotes his focus entirely to the running back position. The athleticism and upside is there, but he needs further reps at the position in order to develop the instincts that will allow his raw talent to flourish.
On film, there aren't too many in between-the-tackle runs. Therefore, I really can't speak definitively on his ability to set up blocks or get a good sense of his overall feel as an interior runner.
In the passing game he shows a ton of versatility. He's a threat lining up in the slot, out-wide, or in running routes out of the backfield. Lovette also shows plus-level ball skills, plucking the ball away from his frame and adjusting to off-target throws.
Lovette has good agility, but is much better making defenders miss in the out in space as opposed to creating space in tight quarters. Therefore, he would fit best in a gap-blocking scheme predicated on quick-hitting downhill runs.