Tennessee Vols DL Matthew Butler lands with Super Bowl contender in mock draft from The Athletic
Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Matthew Butler is expected to be a mid-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. Butler, a Raleigh, NC native, chose to return to Tennessee this past season in part to help raise his draft stock. It certainly seemed to work, as Butler has been receiving quite a bit of praise during […]
Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Matthew Butler is expected to be a mid-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Butler, a Raleigh, NC native, chose to return to Tennessee this past season in part to help raise his draft stock.
It certainly seemed to work, as Butler has been receiving quite a bit of praise during the pre-draft process.
The latest mock draft from The Athletic has Butler being selected in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Drafting a defensive lineman in the fourth round is one of the Bengals’ go-to moves, and even with it being a much bigger need this year, they still can be patient enough to pounce on Day 3 value given the depth of the class. Butler played five seasons for the Volunteers and more than doubled his previous highs in sacks (five) and tackles for loss (8.5) in 2021. He’s athletic for his size and played one of his best games against Alabama’s elite offensive line. He would be a great pairing with B.J. Hill on passing downs and by next year could be ready to compete with Hill for the starting job.
This could end up being a steal for the Bengals. Butler has the talent to be an early-round selection, but he was never really in a good situation at Tennessee until his final season in Knoxville.
Butler started his Volunteer career under Butch Jones, before playing under Jeremy Pruitt for three seasons (the final season was a total disaster for Tennessee). He played under Josh Heupel and defensive coordinator Tim Banks this past season (as well as renowned defensive line coach Rodney Garner).
The 6-foot-4 defensive lineman had the best season of his collegiate career this past season, totaling a career-high 47 tackles and five sacks.
Whoever lands Butler will be getting a player who is a great leader, a hard worker, and a really intelligent man (he received Templeton Athletic Scholarship Endowment and the Phillip Fulmer Award for Excellence Scholarship at Tennessee while maintaining a 3.63 GPA).
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
