A report states that Bayron Matos, formerly of UNM and USF, has been invited to be on hand for Day 3.
On Wednesday, NFL reporter Aaron Wilson broke the news that the league requested offensive lineman Bayron Matos to attend Day 3 of next week’s draft. Why would the NFL do such a thing when they limited their pool of attendants for the first round to just 13 prospects this year, you might ask? Well, the answer is Matos’ interesting background.
As I have reported in the past, the two international player pathways (IPP) prospects who are expected to have a chance of being drafted in this year’s class are Matos and fellow offensive lineman Travis Clayton. IPP players are generally allocated to teams with designated roster exemptions post-draft, like how the Green Bay Packers were assigned pass-rusher Kenneth Odumegwu in early May last year, but teams do have the opportunity to draft these international sports converts via the draft.
The most famous case of this happening is with offensive lineman Jordan Mailata, the former rugby player who the Philadelphia Eagles drafted in the seventh round in 2018 — before he ever had a chance to play a game of football. Sign joining the Eagles, Mailata has started 57 games for the team and signed a three-year, $66 million contract to be Philadelphia’s franchise left tackle.
Starting this year, the NFL also allowed non-draft-eligible IPP players to sign with teams as true free agents before the IPP’s allocation process, which is why you have probably heard of former rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit. The Packers set up a visit with Reez-Zammit, but he signed with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs before Green Bay was able to get the hybrid running back/receiver in a room.
So what’s the deal with Matos? Who is he and why is he being looked at as a potential draft pick? Here’s what I wrote about Matos’ background, along with fellow potential draft choice Clayton, back in March:
Matos is a former basketball player from the Dominican Republic who originally enrolled at New Mexico before transferring to South Florida. He also reportedly had a 90-mile-per-hour fastball in baseball but stuck with basketball as his primary sport due to his 6’9” frame. After finishing his college basketball career, he walked on as a defensive lineman for the Bulls, recording a handful of snaps with the team in 2022. He is now focusing on playing offensive line and has a chance to be the first IPP player drafted since Jordan Mailata was taken in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, Matos ran a 4.96-second 40-yard dash at 313 pounds and posted a short shuttle of 4.77 seconds and a three-cone of 7.64 seconds.
Clayton also has a chance of being drafted, though, Matos is much more likely to hear his name called in April. Per NFLUK’s post on the tackle prospect, the 301-pounder ran a 4.79-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. The 22-year-old not only has a background in rugby, but the Englishman also trained as a boxer.
So the former pitcher-basketball player-defensive lineman has apparently shown enough to NFL teams this offseason to be considered a legitimate offensive line prospect, or at least enough for the league to want to lean into the angle on Day 3 of the draft. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Cincinnati Bengals used 1of their 30 pre-draft visits to bring in Matos to Cincinnati and 11 teams have sent offensive line coaches to work him out. Beyond those opportunities, the IPP had its own pro day for NFL teams back in March, which is where the likes of Rees-Zammit, Matos and Clayton were able to record their 40-yard dash times.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login