National Football League

Bar is set high for Casey Matthews

Published Jan. 26, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

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It’s not easy to live up to your own standards, let alone live up to the standards set by those who arrived before you did.

Not only does University of Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews have to deal with living in the shadow of his father, former NFL linebacker Clay Matthews Jr., but he also has to live up to the hype and outstanding talent of his older brother, Clay Matthews III.

Big brother Clay burst on the scene two years ago in Mobile and has not looked back. In fact, the second-year linebacker for the Green Bay Packers quickly has become one of the NFL’s best defensive players, and he will get another chance to show his talent on a national stage during Super Bowl XLV on FOX. But his meteoric rise really did start during Senior Bowl practices.

It’s in Mobile where personnel evaluators can start to get an idea how the nation’s best senior players will fit in at the next level. And Clay Matthews was so impressive that week that he moved up from being projected in the middle of the second round to No. 26 in the first round of the 2009 draft.

Yes, a great performance here really can improve some players’ draft stock, because they get a chance to show their talent in front of hundreds of NFL scouts and personnel executives during the week’s practices. Personnel evaluators get to watch practices run by current NFL coaches. And they get a chance to evaluate the best senior prospects as they compete against each other in one-on-one and team drills all week — something they can’t get on game tape.

As for Casey Matthews, FOXSports.com questioned five NFL personnel evaluators this week who said he projects to go off the board in the middle rounds (three through five), which might come as a surprise considering his productivity during his four years at Oregon. However, he’s considered a bit undersized (6-¾, 232) by NFL standards and tends to get caught up in the wash at times because of his lack of bulk, sources said.

And it’s interesting that he’s lining up at strong-side linebacker this week instead of his usual middle linebacker position.

“Well, I’ve played inside in our 4-3 system (at Oregon),” Matthews told FOXSports.com. “They (the coaches) have me lining up closer to the tight end, which is a little different than I’m used to.”

Matthews added he’s fine with lining up at any of the three linebacker positions once he gets to play in the NFL.

“Oh yeah, it’s cool. I don’t see it being a big deal,” he said.

Unlike his older brother Clay, Casey does not fit well in a 3-4 scheme. Personnel evaluators believe he would be best used in at 4-3 scheme at middle or strong-side linebacker. But he probably could play at strong-side only if he bulks up a bit. Strong-side linebackers tend to play in the 240-to-250-pound range in the NFL. Middle linebackers can play at a little lower weight depending on the philosophy of the defensive coordinator.

“I really don’t see him playing right away. It’s quite a different situation than Clay,” one NFL scout said this week.

“Don’t get me wrong, though. I think, in time, that he will eventually become a starter, but comparing him to his brother really isn’t fair. They are two entirely different players and what they were asked to do at the college level isn’t really comparable.”

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