NFL Draft 2009: Clay Matthews III looks, plays a lot like father
Clay Matthews was always there.
From the time the reporter was a kindergartner until his junior year in college, Matthews was in a No. 57 jersey for the Browns, long hair flowing out the bottom of his orange helmet.
Sixteen years after Matthews last game in Cleveland, all those memories came flooding back. Clay Matthews III, an outside linebacker from USC, was standing at a podium at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis during the scouting combine in February. The resemblance to his father in appearance and voice was striking, from as far as 50 feet away.
A lot of people in Cleveland have said the same thing,h the father said recently by phone.
Matthews III may have an impressive NFL lineage ? grandfather Clay played, and uncle Bruce was a Hall of Fame offensive lineman ? and he has cemented himself as a first-round draft pick, but his journey wasnft lined with silver spoons.
As a high school junior in California, he weighed 165 pounds and was overlooked by NCAA Division I programs. He blossomed as a senior, but was still ignored, including by USC, where his dad and uncle had starred.
Matthews decided thatfs where he wanted to play anyway, so he walked on. After a redshirt year, he began to see time on special teams and continued to develop physically. He measured 6-foot-3, 240 pounds at the combine.
He was a real late bloomer, said his father, who played linebacker for the Browns from 1978-93 and holds the franchise record with 232 games.
While Matthews III always maintained he could play with the rest of the stars at USC, his father became a true believer during spring ball of his third year.
They threw a little pass to a back and he had dropped in zone,Matthews Jr. said of the drill. He reversed direction and accelerated. All of a sudden, I said, He's got a burst, he can run.
From that point on, I knew.
Matthews still had a lot of work to do, fighting with Keith Rivers, Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing for playing time. He broke through as a senior, getting the only 10 starts of his career. He had 4? sacks and nine tackles for loss as a standup end.
He totaled just 96 tackles in his career, but the strong finish has many NFL teams convinced hefs just scratching the surface of a vast potential.
I have always believed in myself and believed that I could be in this position one day, he said after the Trojans pro day. But to come from being a walk-on and a guy that wasn't even rated before the season, to now being projected to hopefully a first-round draft pick is humbling.
Matthews III continues to climb draft boards ? 15th to Houston is a possibility ? as teams view him as versatile enough to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 or 4-3. He should make an immediate impact on kick coverage, as he was three-time co-special teams player of the year at USC.
That's what I consider my bread and butter and that's what got me to where I am today and to be able to play linebacker, he said. It's just something I really appreciate and understand the value of and would love to do for years to come.
Ego doesn't seem to be a problem for a kid who grew up surrounded by life in the NFL. His dad drove a 1973 Mercury Capri until 1990, and Matthews III is headed down a similar road.
I'm going with a '98 F-150 with some dented fenders, so I'm hoping to rival him, he said.
The similarities don't end there. Matthews III has the same long hair, but blonder, and plays the same position.
I think Clay (the father) was a little bit stouter, said Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, who was drafted by the Browns in the same year as Matthews. Clay (the son) maybe has more range. But they are very similar in their styles.
Some of that may have come from the younger Matthewsf film study.
I've been fortunate enough to see what he was able to do over the years and watch some of his pass-rush moves and things that I try to emulate, Matthews III said. Maybe me being naive, I try and think I'm my own player and try and create my own footsteps, but I think we're very much the same. And hopefully I can have very much the same career he had.
Dad thinks son has one big edge.
He's a lot faster than I am, he said. He really has an extraordinary burst and speed. For a guy 6-3, 240, he runs in the 4.5s. I could never do that.
I think I had some skills, but not like that.
The Browns are in the market for outside linebackers, and coach Eric Mangini places a premium on hard workers with versatility and intelligence. Matthews seems like the perfect fit, but No. 5 is too high and he won't be around for the Browns second pick, No. 36. So a trade would be necessary for him to follow in his dadfs Cleveland footsteps.
It would mean a lot, because my dad played there for so many years, he said. I always have a smile on my face when I talk to the Cleveland Browns representatives.
Dad would welcome it, too.
It definitely would have a buzz to it, he said. It would be special.
We have not done any of that thinking, because we have no control over that. But when you present that scenario, it definitely has a kick to it.
