Breaking: Matthew Butler Selected in NFL Draft

Breaking: Matthew Butler Selected in 2022 NFL Draft

Former Vols' defensive lineman Matthew Butler has been selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft at No. 175 overall. 

After five seasons on Rocky Top where he became a significant leader on defense, Butler heads to the pros to continue his career in Vegas.

Butler is the 86th Vol to be drafted since 2000 and the 377th Vol to be selected in the NFL Draft in program history. He is the third Vol to be selected in the 2022 draft, joining Alontae Taylor (Pk. 49) and Velus Jones Jr. (Pk. 71). 

Butler put together a career year in orange and white in 2021 on an SEC-high 726 total defensive snaps. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native totaled career-highs with 47 tackles, five sacks and eight-and-a-half tackles for loss, helping the Vols become one of the best teams in the nation in the TFL category. 

Although the 22-year-old (23 this June) was not invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl, he turned some heads at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Butler was then invited to the NFL Combine, where he ran a 5.00 40-yard dash, logged 17 bench presses, had a 32-inch vertical jump and a 112-inch broad jump. 

Ahead of the draft, Butler met with Tennessee media to discuss his performance in the Shrine Bowl and what his goals were heading in. 

"I went in there with a chip on my shoulder," Butler said. "The Shrine Bowl is a really good bowl, but I wanted to be in the Reese's Bowl, and I didn't know why I wasn't. So, I went in there thinking that no one else was better than me, and I wanted to prove myself right, and I think that's what I did."

Butler has sky rocketed up the draft boards in the past year, going from a player who was not on anyone's radars in the Spring of 2021 to ultimately a fifth-round draft pick. While the VFL has plenty of aspects of his game to improve upon, his leadership qualities, experience and relentless motor should allow him to see some playing time in year one. 

Butler not only excelled on the field at Tennessee but also in the classroom, garnering many CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-America team honors in the last five years, as well as SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition. A full list of Butler's achievements both due to his performance on the field and in the classroom is below. 

2022 NFL Combine Invitee
2022 East-West Shrine Game Invitee
2021 CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team
2021 SEC Community Service Team
2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 First Team
2021 William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist
2021 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll
2020 CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 First Team
2021 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient
2020 SEC McWhorter Award Nominee
2020 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll
2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 First Team
2019 SEC Community Service Team
2018-19 VOLeaders Academy
2019 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll
2018 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll
2017-18 First Year SEC Academic Honor Roll

In Las Vegas, Butler joins fellow VFL Kendal Vickers on the defensive line.

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