Matt Kalil Combine: How He Solidified His Status as the Draft's Top Tackle

USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil entered the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine as the top offensive tackle on virtually everyone's draft board. After his performance for scouts, Kalil solidified his status as the best offensive lineman in the 2012 NFL Draft class, and he will almost certainly be taken within the top three picks. 

Kalil measured in at 6'7" and 306 pounds, with 34.5-inch arms. He has added some solid weight since his season ended and says he plans to add even more bulk and play at around 310 pounds. Considering how nimble he is on his feet, that is a scary prospect. 

The 22-year-old All-American then impressed everyone in attendance by running a 4.99 second 40-yard dash, ripping off 30 reps on the 225-pound bench press, flashing a vertical jump of 27 inches and posting a 7.33 second time in the three-cone drill. His times in both the three-cone drill and 40-yard dash ranked second among all offensive linemen. 

On top of his obvious physical attributes, Kalil is a cerebral player who has fantastic intangibles and impeccable bloodlines. His brother Ryan is a Pro Bowl center for the Carolina Panthers, while his father Frank played offensive line in the USFL.

Kalil is affable in interviews, but deadly serious on the field. He doesn't just like contact, he has a nasty streak and seems to relish punishing defenders, particularly in the run game. In pass protection he manned quarterback Matt Barkley's blind side over the past two seasons and kept USC's signal-caller mostly clean. 

The big thing for Kalil is that he makes it all look easy and natural. It's almost like he was born to play left tackle in the NFL. If Andrew Luck wasn't a part of this draft class, I believe the big offensive tackle would be the top pick on April 26. As it stands now, he won't last past the Minnesota Vikings at No. 3 and could go No. 2 to the St. Louis Rams. 

This weekend at the combine, Kalil showed up and impressed even more than he already had on film. If anything, he has people even more excited about what he can do when he finally gets on the field.