NFL Draft Profile: Matthew Butler, Interior Defensive Lineman, Tennessee Volunteers

NFL draft profile scouting report for Tennessee defensive tackle Matthew Butler

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#94
Pos: DT
Ht: 6037
Wt: 297
Hand: 0928
Arm: 3348
Wing: 8228
40: 5.00
Bench: 17
3-Cone: 7.89
Shuttle: 4.81
Vertical: 32
Broad Jump: 0904
DOB: 6/10/99
Eligible: 2022
Fayetteville, NC
Garner Senior

Matthew Butler 
Tennessee Volunteers

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One Liner

Matthew Butler is a high-energy and explosive player with the competitive fire that coaches love. He has a strong lower body with a great anchor to hold his position.

Pros

Matthew Butler has a relentless motor, always pushing and never giving up on plays. He is a high-energy and explosive player with the competitive fire that coaches love. His lower body is impressively strong, showing great anchor to hold his position in the run game. Butler translates his lower body strength with great leg drive and good leverage when attempting his bull rush move, making it difficult for linemen to stay on balance. His initial punch is powerful and can send linemen into the backfield with thunderous initial contact. Butler is able to move along the line well with quick lateral agility which he uses to shoot gaps and shed blocks. He has very good snap timing matched with an explosive first step which usually translates into him getting his hands on offensive linemen first.

Cons

Though his lower half is very strong, Butler needs to add some more upper body and functional strength. Butler attempts too many arm tackles at the line of scrimmage and with his lack of upper body strength, normally resulting in a missed tackle. He needs to work on his technique in how he uses his hands fighting in the trenches in order to be more of a people mover and shed blocks. Butler has a tough time fighting off blockers if his initial punch does not give him the upper hand in the rep. This also shows that he needs to add more pass rush counters to his game. With his explosiveness, learning an inside swim move could be devastating for him, though I do not think I have ever seen it attempted. He does not have the upper body strength to play nose tackle and does not have enough burst or bend to play off of the edge which unfortunately relegates him to more of a 3-technique role in a 4-3 or a 2-technique in a 3-4. Though I love his competitive nature, he can be overaggressive at times in his pursuit and take himself out of the play. Butler also comes out of his stance too tall at times forcing him to lose his leverage on offensive linemen, giving his opposition the upper hand.

Summary

Matthew Butler has a nice blend of size and explosiveness. He possesses many traits that will allow him to be successful at the next level. His improvement over his time in college shows that he is a coachable player, and most of the negatives in his game can be coached. He will need some time to improve his craft but can come in right away and play the 3-technique position. With a little added strength in the weight room, and some added technique with his hands, Butler could have a successful NFL career.

Background

Matthew Butler was rated a 3-star prospect coming out of Garner Senior High School per 247 Sports. He was named to the 2016 North Carolina Associated Press All-State Class 4A team and was a star at the Carolina Shrine Bowl. Butler was absolutely dominant as a senior, finishing the season with 96 tackles, 44 for a loss, and 26 sacks. Butler received numerous scholarship offers from other Power-5 conference teams before choosing Tennessee. As a freshman he saw very little time on the field, playing in eight games, though only totaling four tackles. His first career tackle was a three-yard tackle for a loss against Indiana State. As a sophomore it was much of the same, playing in nine games, finishing the season with only 13 total tackles with one going for a loss. He did showcase his potential though in a game against Florida where he set a then career-high for single-game tackles with four. Butler broke out as a junior leading all Tennessee defensive linemen with 45 tackles. He appeared in all 13 games while making four starts. Butler was able to produce at least five tackles in six of those 13 games, including the Gator Bowl. He made his first career start against Mississippi State and recorded three tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a sack. He was selected to the Academic All-District First Team as well as the SEC Academic Honor Roll. As a senior, Butler made his presence felt and was a consistent force for the Volunteers. He started every game and posted over five tackles in half of the team’s games. Butler once again led the defensive line in tackles (43) while notching the fourth best total on the team overall. Butler had the luxury of being a fifth-year senior, and it did wonders for him. Under the new coaching staff, Butler started 12 of the team’s 134 games and led all SEC defensive players in snaps played (726). He led all defensive linemen on the team in tackles for the third consecutive year (47) while tacking on 8.5 tackles for a loss and five sacks. Butler was invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game in Las Vegas after his big final season. He was always thriving with his academics as well. Butler received a 2021 NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship and was a five-time of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

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Draft Grade

5th Round

Quote

“You don’t often hear Butler’s name included with the top defensive tackles in the 2022 NFL Draft, but maybe we should.” Ian Cummings Pro Football Network