Steelers Prospect Watch: Tyler Matakevich

Will the Steelers be looking for a new middle linebacker in this year’s draft?

Every off-season it’s the same old story for the Steelers: how will they get under the cap for the upcoming season? It seems like an impossible feat at times, but somehow Kevin Colbert gets it down year in and year out.

Whether it’s cutting a player or restructuring contracts, Colbert finds way to get the Steelers under.  This year is no exception.  Lawrence Timmons could be one of the players.  His cap hit is over $15 million for 2016 and the former Pro Bowl didn’t exactly light the world on fire this past year.

So if the Steelers decide to move on from Timmons, could the Steelers dab a middle linebacker in the draft? One linebacker Pittsburgh and football fans everywhere should know is former Temple Owls star Tyler Matakevich.

It quite simple to describe the way Matakevich plays football.  He is a tackling machine and that’s putting it lightly.  Since 2005, no other player has recorded more solo tackles over their college career than Matakevich.  He has a whopping 338. 338! To put it in perspective, he has 85 more tackles than the second place guy.  When you account for assisted tackles, Matakevich made 493 total tackles in his collegiate career.

The 6’1 235 lbs. Matakevich was a four-year starter for the Owls.  In his first three years at Temple, he had the misfortune of playing on some awful teams including a two win team in 2013.  Still, he racked up at least 100 total tackles in each season and a mind numbing 106 solo tackles during his sophomore season.

But in 2015, Temple finally broke through and had their first 10 win season since 1979.   For the first time in decades, the Owls were making waves on the national scene and Matakevich reaped the benefits.

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The star linebacker won the Bednarik and Nagurski awards while becoming a consensus All-American.  Matakevich was also named AAC Defensive Player of the Year and was named first team All-AAC for the third time.  In his freshman season, he was named second team All-Big East.

What separates Matakevich from his contemporaries is his ability to read and react on the fly and play with little hesitation.  Wherever the ball is, you bet your ass Matakevich will be there to make the tackle.  During the Senior Bowl in January, these skills were on full display.

In one of the first drives of the game, Matakevich made five tackles in that series alone.  If it wasn’t an all-star game, he probably would have made 20 tackles.  The amazing thing is he is not blessed with the athleticism that is so common with linebackers in the NFL.  His 40 time probably won’t wow scouts either.

But the film does not lie about this kid; he was born to play football.  Matakevich is also a terrific blitzer, hitting another gear once he sees his target.  If you want proof, just ask Christian Hackenberg if he can blitz.  The Penn State quarterback was sacked 3 times by Matakevich in their loss to Temple (Hackenberg was sacked 10 times that day).

As of  now, Matakevich is projected to a third or fourth round pick in the draft.  If the Steelers do part ways with Timmons, Matakevich could step in right away and start.  Pairing him with Ryan Shazier would allow the Steelers to use Shazier more creatively with Matakevich manning the middle.

Next: Steelers Prospect Watch: Mackensie Alexander

This all depends if Shazier can stay healthy for an entire season.  Either way, Matakevich has all the makings of being the next great middle linebacker in the NFL.