Report: Philadelphia Eagles to Workout Oregon Linebacker Casey Matthews

After seeing the talents of Clay Matthews first hand last season, Ravens-today.html" target="_blank">there are reports that the Eagles will take a closer look at the talents of his younger brother, Casey Matthews.

Matthews stands at 6’1”, 231 pounds and has hair much like his brother.  However, he doesn't appear to be the more talented of the two.  That's not a very big put-down though, as his brother is one of the best in the business.

At Oregon, Matthews played on an overlooked defensive unit, as their high-octane offense hogged the spotlight.  However, the Ducks defense was a big contributor to their run at a National Championship, holding opponents to just 18.7 points per game (ranking them 12th in the nation).

During his college career, Matthews was a big contributor for the Ducks from his sophomore season on.  He didn't begin the year as a starter as a sophomore, but ended the year as the sixth leading tackler on the team.  In his final two seasons, he became a staple in the Duck's defense.

Although Matthews isn't the type of game changer his brother is, he proved his all-around abilities as a linebacker.  After originally being used mostly as a pass rusher, the Ducks started using Matthews more in pass coverage.  That's a very desirable trait for the Eagles as they've continually struggled against opposing tight ends.

In the National Championship game against Auburn, Matthews had a play that emulated exactly what his big brother does every Sunday for Green Bay.  Coming off the edge, Matthews ran down Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton and forced a fumble.

At the NFL Combine, Matthews suffered a minor injury while bench pressing and was unable to complete any other events.  However, he was able to complete a full series of workouts at the Oregon Pro Day (minus the bench press).

Matthews projects to be a mid-round selection, but has the type of talent to be a productive player in the NFL for a long time.  The Eagles could clearly use some help to bolster their group of linebackers and may choose to make a move for a player before they even get to the middle rounds.  However, if the Eagles were to pick up Matthews in the fourth or fifth round, I think he'd be a nice addition.