38. Panthers - Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State (6-5, 266) Dane Brugler: Gross-Matos is a long, agile athlete with quick acceleration to win the edge and an explosive inside counter move. He is physical vs. the run and flashes violent rip moves, but must diversify his rush plan and shed skills to routinely beat NFL-level blockers. Overall, Gross-Matos requires time to mature, but his rangy frame and flexible athleticism give him the tools to be a high-impact edge rusher who can reduce inside on passing downs due to his gap quickness and length. Bob McGinn/Anonymous Scouts: Gross-Matos, a third-year junior, is “very talented,” one scout said. “He’s a three-down player. He’s a bigger guy than most of these pass rushers, which I like about him. He’s bigger than Chaisson and Okwara and Uche. But he’s got some off-the-field stuff, maturity and things. (Editor’s note: Gross-Matos was suspended in July of 2019 for a violation of team rules and spent that summer away from the team). I think he’s a first-round talent.” Played in a rotation as a freshman before starting 25 games as a DE in a 4-3 for two seasons. “He’s still pretty raw,” said another scout. “He’s got to learn a little more toughness, a little more finish. Got to get his technique down. He’s got traits that are pretty high end and you’d like to develop.” Arm length (34 7/8) tied for the longest among the top 15 at the position. “His floor is pretty high but his ceiling isn’t as high as Okwara’s,” said a third scout. “But the bust factor isn’t there because he plays his balls off. He can play the run.” He finished with 111 tackles (37 for loss) and 19 sacks. “I think he stinks,” said a fourth scout. “He’s not explosive. He’s leggy. More of a technician than anything else.” Gross-Matos is from Spotsylvania, Va. BACKGROUND: Yetur (YEE-tore) Gross-Matos (Mah-tose), whose first name means “encircled by family” in the Old Testament, played basketball, football and track at Chancellor. He was a four-year letterman in football and started three seasons on varsity, earning first-team all-conference honors his final two years. Gross-Matos had his best season as a senior with 130 tackles, 21.0 tackles for loss and a school-record 18.5 sacks, giving him 37.0 career sacks (also a school record). He was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and earned second team All-State honors. A four-star defensive end recruit out of high school, Gross-Matos was the No. 6 recruit in Virginia and started to receive scholarship offers prior to his junior year at Chancellor. He strongly considered offers from Clemson, Tennessee, Virginia and Virginia Tech, but Penn State was always the leader, committing to James Franklin after his junior year and keeping his commitment after Alabama made a late push. His childhood was filled with multiple family tragedies: Yetur’s biological father (Michael Gross) died at age 29 after he and 2-year old Yetur fell off a boat into the Chesapeake Bay (May 2000). Yetur was saved by his grandfather, but Michael drowned. Yetur’s older brother (Chelal) died at age 12 after he was struck by lightning on a Little League baseball field (June 2009). Yetur took the name of his stepfather (Rob Matos) after his mother (Sakinah) remarried and Rob adopted him and his siblings. He elected to skip his final season and enter the 2020 NFL Draft. STRENGTHS: Long, flexible athlete with a limber body type, allowing him to unwind from blocks…long-striding speed to win the corner and accelerate at the top of his rush…light-footed with sudden lateral movements to slip through gaps…long-legged, but easily drops his hips and makes 90-degree cuts due to his oily joints…uses two-handed punch to set up his aggressive swipe or rip moves (chop rip, dip rip, etc.)…natural movement skills to drop, spy or stunt, playing for different depths…gains ground with his first step, allowing him to skirt or bull rush blockers as an interior lineman…coachable mindset and “innately motivated,” according to NFL scouts…productive two-year starter with his 19.0 career sacks ranking top 10 in Penn State history. WEAKNESSES: Still filling out and defining his long frame…must improve his countermeasures and rush plan efficiency…quick hands, but more violent than powerful with his swipe moves…sticks to blocks once his pads rise and blockers reach his chest…missed one game during his final season due to a left hand injury (November 2019)…wasted length when he can’t find the passing lanes (zero pass breakups in college)…maturity level is something that will be questioned after he was suspended during the offseason for a violation of team rules, spending the 2019 summer away from the team. SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Penn State, Gross-Matos lined up as a hand-on-the-ground end in defensive coordinator Brent Pry’s 4-3 base scheme, moving inside on some passing downs. His production was enough to lead the Nittany Lions in both sacks and tackles for loss each of the last two seasons. Gross-Matos is a long, agile athlete with quick acceleration to win the edge and an explosive inside counter move. He is physical vs. the run and flashes violent rip moves, but must diversify his rush plan and shed skills to routinely beat NFL-level blockers. Overall, Gross-Matos requires time to mature, but his rangy frame and flexible athleticism give him the tools to be a high-impact edge rusher who can reduce inside on passing downs due to his gap quickness and length.
Still good db's left. Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah (6-0, 193) Jeremy Chinn, DS, Southern Illinois (6-3, 221) Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU (6-0, 197)
39. Dolphins - Robert Hunt, OG, Louisiana (6-5, 323) Dane Brugler: Hunt has stubborn hands to keep defenders tied up, not simply engaging, but preferring to strike and bury his opponent. While he rolls into his blocks to overwhelm defenders in the run game, he must use better sink mid-kickslide to win the leverage battle in pass pro. Overall, Hunt needs to clean up some bad habits from a mechanical standpoint, but his quiet feet, loud hands and competitive nature are NFL starting-level traits, projecting best inside at guard. Bob McGinn/Anonymous Scouts: Started at LG in 2016-’17 and at RT in 2018-’19. “Tough guy,” said one scout. “Got some initial pop. He can strike you. Not an elite athlete. Got some waist-bend issues. But there’s a lot to work with.” His chances for an early selection took a hit because of a groin injury that required surgery in January and cost him the last seven games and post-season participation. “Had he been able to go to the Senior Bowl and showed out against tough competition he might be a guy we’re talking about late in the first round,” another scout said. “He plays with a mean streak. He’s powerful. He can move people.” His Wonderlic score of 13 was second-lowest among the top guards. “He’s actually much more football smart than you want to give him credit for,” said a third scout. “He’s going to go pretty high because he can play four positions. He’s a little bit rough around the edges. You don’t want to rush him. You don’t want to depend on him to do too much. Maybe third round, but tackles usually get overdrafted so second wouldn’t surprise me.” From Burkeville, Texas. BACKGROUND: Robert Hunt, who is the youngest of six children, was born in Jasper, Texas and grew up in nearby Wiergate, which is only a few miles from the Sabine River and the Texas-Louisiana border. Due to family hardships, he spent portions of his youth with his grandmother in Fort Worth. Hunt enrolled at Burkeville High School as a freshman, playing both basketball and football. With only 18 players on the roster, the program struggled to get by, winning only two games over Hunt’s four-year career. He played on both the offensive and defensive lines, primarily at offensive tackle, earning first-team all-district honors as a junior and senior. Hunt played center on the basketball team, earning first-team all-district as a junior with 18.9 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. A two-star offensive tackle recruit out of high school, Hunt was the No. 307 rated tackle in the country and the No. 467 ranked recruit in the state of Texas. He didn’t think he was good enough for college football, so he planned to enter the workforce after he graduated from Burkeville. However, an assistant coach from LouisianaLafayette made a pit stop at one of his senior practices and invited him to an upcoming football camp. Hunt attended and impressed the coaches enough to earn a scholarship, changing the trajectory of his life. He accepted his invitation to the 2020 Senior Bowl, but was unable to participate due to injury. STRENGTHS: Compact build and fills out his jersey well…athletic feet and stays coordinated in his lateral slide…flexible hips to open and react to different rush moves…keeps his hands light and tight, annoying defenders with his stubbornness…physical mindset in the run game, using his strong hands to latch-and-drive defenders…plays with a nasty streak…breaks down in space to scoop and escort defender from the lane…well-liked by his teammates and “extremely humble – almost to a fault,” according to an NFL scout…started 45 games over his career, spending half his time at tackle and the other half at guard. WEAKNESSES: Needs to be quicker in his set-up…average-at-best arm length and long-armed rushers are able to attack his chest…tends to set high in pass pro and rushers are able to get underneath and forklift him…overextends at the waist and loses his balance, allowing rushers to snatch him…head ducker and his technique requires tweaking…missed the final seven games of his senior season due to a nagging groin injury (October 2019), requiring postseason surgery (January 2019)…Participated in a dorm room robbery (May 2017), when he was one of 13 players suspended from the team and charged with a misdemeanor of criminal mischief, which was eventually dropped after Hunt completed a diversion program …will turn 24 years old before he takes an NFL regular-season snap. SUMMARY: A four-year starter, Hunt lined up at right tackle in head coach Billy Napier’s run-heavy offense. Along with right guard Kevin Dotson (his roommate), they formed one of the nastiest right sides of the offensive line in the FBS in 2019, although he missed the second half of the season and most of the draft process due to his groin injury. Hunt has stubborn hands to keep defenders tied up, not simply engaging, but preferring to strike and bury his opponent. While he rolls into his blocks to overwhelm defenders in the run game, he must use better sink mid-kickslide to win the leverage battle in pass pro. Overall, Hunt needs to clean up some bad habits from a mechanical standpoint, but his quiet feet, loud hands and competitive nature are NFL starting-level traits, projecting best inside at guard.
