Tennessee football: Ranking all four Vols by NFL Combine performance in 2022
Defensive lineman. 3. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. player. Raleigh, N.C.. Matthew Butler
6’4″ 297 pounds; 33.5″ arms; 9.25″ hands
Combine results according to NFL.com:
- 40-time: 5 seconds
- Bench press: 17 reps
- Vertical jump: 32 inches
- Broad jump: 112 inches
- 3 cone drill: 7.89 seconds
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.81 seconds
Slightly exceeding his expected weight was a good sign for Matthew Butler. Not cracking the fours in the 40-time was a bad sign. Tennessee football’s most productive defensive lineman produced mixed results throughout the combine. In some cases, he was among the better ones, but there’s no instance where he stood out.
Butler’s vertical was tied for second-best among defensive tackles specifically, and while he didn’t crack the desired speed for a 40-time, it’s not a big deal since he’s close to 300 pounds and focusing on defensive tackle. His speed was tied for sixth among defensive tackles.
Still, like Mays, people will have to plug in the tape for Butler. He played defensive end up on the line in Jeremy Pruitt’s 3-4 scheme and moved over to defensive tackle last year, in the process becoming the most productive player up front. That’s his selling point more than this combine.
Scouts should take what the North Carolina did on the field more seriously, and his agility is still valuable. As a result, although he had mixed results and didn’t gain a lot from the combine, he should still end up being okay. There’s no point denying it could have been better, though.