Oregon Football: Casey Matthews Brings First Round Value as a Late Round Pick

Oregon’s Casey Matthews is going to be quite a bargain for some lucky team in the later rounds of the 2011 NFL draft.

Mathews is an intriguing prospect, because he has shown that he has some great skill and potential, and most people would assume that he has a high ceiling.

The high ceiling is a product of being in the Matthews family, and after seeing what big brother, Clay Matthews, has done in the NFL many people are expecting to see the same out Casey.

There seems to be a general consensus that he is not a high round pick though, and most experts predict a team to pull the trigger somewhere in between the third and fifth rounds. He was not a national standout linebacker during his time at Oregon, but he is an effective player that will give you 110 percent every time he touches the field.

Casey also lost some stock during the 2011 NFL combine when he hurt his shoulder on the bench press. It turned out to be a minor injury and he bounced back during Oregon’s pro day, but when it comes to the NFL draft even the smallest of things can impact your draft stock in a negative way.

What I’m trying to get at, though, is that even though Matthews will most likely be drafted in the later rounds, he is going to be an instant value for whatever team that takes him.

I’m going to be bold here so just bare with me.

I believe that Casey Matthews has the value of a late first round draft pick.

It may seem like a ludicrous statement, but I don’t think many people are seeing the added value that Matthews brings to the table.

Now, I’m not just saying this because of his bloodline, even though I’m sure it doesn’t hurt to come from such a prolific family of linebackers.

The fact is that Casey is a much different player than Clay II and Clay III.

Casey is a middle linebacker, while both of the Clays made their livings as outside linebackers.

He has a handful of athletic limitations that separate him from the rest of his family. The main complaints about Casey are that he needs to continue to develop his strength, and improve his play on the perimeter of the field.

What he lacks in athletic ability he makes up for with the traits that do run though his family though.

He is as tough as nails and is a hard worker. He also displays the typical Matthews passion for the game, which can be more than intimidating at times.

If you have a Matthews on your team, you could literally ask him to run through a brick wall to get the football for you, and he would do just that.

That is the added value that Casey Matthews will bring to a football team.

He has the ability to be an instant contributor on special teams, and will more than likely make a few big plays during the course of a game.

You could also expect to get a more than adequate bench player that will fill in admirably when a starter needs a rest.

Most teams would die to get a role player like Casey Matthews in the later rounds, and I think with a few years of experience under his belt he could easily become a starting linebacker in the NFL.

Some lucky team is going to get a late first round draft pick for the value of a fourth or fifth rounder.

Now, that’s a bargain.