2012 NFL Draft: Draft Profile of the Day on Matt Kalil

Lots of ink and pixels are being spent anticipating Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III's arrival in the NFL, but Matt Kalil, the No. 3 prospect on the board, should also cause excitement among his new team's fanbase, even though he plays in the trenches. Let's take a closer look at the USC offensive tackle.

Tools

Kalil comes in a perfectly tailored to play left tackle with a 6'6", 305-pound frame and ideal long arms. He is a fluid and smooth athlete with great flexibility and foot quickness. Kalil moves very well in space and should be fine in a trap/pull running game even though it wasn't a staple of the USC offense. This part of his game projects well on screen passes and in a zone-blocking running game.

The NFL bloodlines are there—his brother Ryan was a second-round pick and now starts at center for Carolina after also playing at USC, and his father Frank played Division I college football and pro ball in the USFL.

Technique

Kalil displays a lot of what you want to see in an NFL offensive tackle: a quick first step off the snap, good low pad level, great hand positioning, a strong initial punch. He's always a knee bender, never a waist bender.

His lateral movement as a pass-blocker is solid, but not elite, although he uses those long arms to steer pass-rushers past the QB and generally where he wants them to go. He anchors well despite less-than-ideal strength because of his pad level and sound base.

Intangibles

Kalil plays with consistent intensity, toughness and a mean streak, including delivering the knockout blow when he sees an opportunity. He is a smart player who can recognize the stunt and blitz, and use his quickness and athleticism to adjust on the fly.

Overall, you see a patience about his game that indicates confidence and utmost preparation, in addition to having the game happen slower for him. That keeps him under control more than most offensive tackles because the position forces a player to react so quickly.

Negatives

Kalil lacks functional strength to overpower smaller pass-rushers or push a defender to the sidelines in the running game. He has already said at the combine that he is working on getting bigger and stronger to maintain his high level of play at the next level.

It's not so much a negative, but for an elite offensive tackle prospects, Kalil's athleticism is only very good, not rare.

The Bottom Line

Kalil has as high a floor as any prospect in the draft, but unlike Trent Richardson or David DeCastro, he plays at an extremely difficult position to fill, as difficult as quarterback in reality.

While he might not be quite the prospect that Jake Long was on paper, and he probably won't be the next Orlando Pace or Jonathan Ogden, Kalil is going to be a Pro Bowl level offensive tackle for a long time, and that equals a fantastic return on the No. 3 overall pick for the Minnesota Vikings.

There's a reason he kept former USC teammate Tyron Smith, a 2011 top-10 pick and instant quality pro in Dallas, at right tackle.