Ryan Kalil and Matt Kalil Are Making the 2012 NFL Draft a Family Affair

The Carolina Panthers’ Ryan Kalil paid a visit to his alma mater Wednesday afternoon. As he and his wife Natalie, also an USC alumna, stood in familiar settings, Kalil couldn’t help but be nervous.

It was his little brother’s pro day and all he could do was watch.

“Little” is a relative term. Matt Kalil, the Trojans All-American left tackle, is five years younger, but four inches taller than Ryan.

“I have no control over what he’s doing out there, you know? I can just give him a pat on the butt and tell him to do his best which I know he will,” said Ryan. “He’s done a great job. He did a good job at the combine and he continues to show these teams that he is going to be a player that is going to play a long time in the league.”

While Ryan sat nervously in the stands, Matt was relaxed, casually talking to teammates and smiling for the press.

“It’s fun. It’s flipped around now. I’m on the field and he’s in the stands watching,” said Matt.

He isn’t worried about living up to his brother’s expectations. The fact is, he probably won’t meet the standard Ryan set.

That’s because he is on track to surpass it.

The elder Kalil, the highest-paid center in the NFL, was drafted in the second round of the 2007 draft by the Panthers and was a full-time starter by the 2008 season. The three-time Pro Bowler was also deemed valuable enough to be given the Panthers' franchise tag last season.

USC head coach Lane Kiffin, who was an assistant while Ryan was at USC, said last year around this time that Matt would probably turn out to be a better pro prospect than his brother.

Currently, Matt is projected to go in the top three of the 2012 NFL draft. Of course, having the same genetics plus a few extra inches might have something to do with it. Ryan has also spent the last five years forging down the same treacherous path to professional success that Matt is hoping to find himself on. Now, Matt has a map to help him navigate the common pitfalls and snares that come with the often unpredictable process proceeding the draft.

“[Ryan has been] just helping me with the combine and what to expect in the interviews, you know, getting weird questions, how to handle yourself when you’re asked certain things. It definitely did help: a lot of the things he told me, a lot of things I asked. I definitely came in there prepared and had a lot of confidence going into it,” said Matt.

But Ryan won’t credit Matt’s high draft stock to anything he’s said or done.

“He’s done all the preparations himself, just more so [I’ve tried] to be a resource for him on what to expect,” said Ryan.

You get the feeling that Ryan thinks Matt would figure out a way to be just fine without him.

“Even though I didn’t have an older brother when I went through the process, I felt like I did getting to talk to guys like Deuce Lutui and Winston Justice and all those guys that came before me. That is huge,” said Ryan. “Even if I can’t be there, be somebody who he talks to or calls, he’s got guys. His really good buddy Tyron Smith just went through the process last year and he’s doing a great job in the NFL. He has a lot of great resources around him, not just me.”

USC might be the only place where having an older brother in the NFL isn’t the best thing to ever happen to you. When you are coming from one of the best NFL pipelines in the country, there is no shortage of friends and alumni waiting to give you advice.

But it sure makes it more fun when you’re related. And when it comes down to it, Ryan is, and always will be, “big brother.”

“He’s definitely a proud brother and he’s one of my biggest idols. It’s definitely pretty cool looking up to that,” said Matt.

Matt gets to move in with his idol in Irvine, CA until he knows where his next destination will be. He’ll stay in, probably spend some extra time with his new baby niece, and train with his brother. Ryan be will around to help Matt and, among other things, pick out his tie for his big day.

“It won’t be too fancy. We’ll have him looking nice, but it will be down to earth,” joked Ryan.

And then Ryan will take his little brother to New York, give him a pat on the butt, and tell him to do his best, even though he already knows he will.