| Strengths: |
Smart and hardworking, Matthews has a non-stop motor. Solid pass rushing skills. Aggressive and flows to the ball well. Does a decent job getting through blockers, but is best running sideline to sideline. Terrific bloodlines, son of former Pro Bowl NFL player Clay Matthews and nephew of Hall of Fame lineman Bruce Matthews. Has decent instincts for not having played as much as others. Does a solid job chasing down the play from one end to the other. Solid tackler using sound fundamentals. Tremendous upside. |
| Weaknesses: |
Has limited play experience. Will have trouble getting off strong blockers. Doesn't have the upper body strength to play at the defensive end position. Needs to learn to use his hands better. Is limited in coverage. A true over-acheiver. |
| Quick Hits: |
A walk on at USC, Matthews made his mark on special teams and earned a starting job in 2008. A tremendously hard worker, Matthews will give 100% to whatever NFL drafts him. Has a tremendous amount of upside but is a bit raw and needs to develop further. Really began to generate hype after a strong performance at the Senior Bowl. Some wonder if he's a product of having good talent around him at USC. Matthews is worth the risk to an NFL team in the early 2nd round area as he could be a situational pass rusher and standout special teamer at the least. Could best fit in as a 3-4 OLB, but possibly an OLB in a 4-3. USC Head Coach Pete Carroll is quoted as saying he wished he would have put Matthews as a starter sooner because they probably would have won more games.
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