Prospect Scouting Profile – Matthew Butler, IDL, Tennessee
It’s officially draft season and I will be writing up a lot of prospect scouting profiles. These will be packed with info so make sure you don’t miss them.
Player Introduction
Matthew Butler is a run-stuffing defensive tackle, with the ability to provide a pass rusher from the interior. He is a versatile Interior defensive lineman, who can kick out to the defensive end position when needed. While he may not be an elite prospect, he has improved every season at Tennessee and really made a big improvement jump under the tutelage of defensive line coach Rodney Garner. Butler has a good solid frame with length and as of now looks to be a solid mid-round selection on draft weekend.
Combine Measurables
Height – 6’4”
Weight – 297 LBS
Arms – 33½”
Wing Span – 81⅛"
Hands – 9¼"
Bench Press - 17
Vertical - 32"
Broad Jump - 112"
Speed – 5.00 sec
Ametuer Notes & Accloades
Butler was a super senior interior defensive lineman for the Tennessee Vols and is now a prospect preparing for the NFL draft. He was born on June 10, 1999, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he was rated as a four-star prospect out of Garner Senior High School. Butler led Garner Senior to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the regional semifinals. He finished his senior season with 96 tackles, including 44 TFLs and 26 sacks, and was named to the 2016 North Carolina Associated Press All-State Class 4A Team. Butler would commit to the Tennessee Vols.
Butler’s early years with the Vols were spent mostly being a backup and low on the depth chart, which is not uncommon for a lot of players. In his freshman and sophomore (17’-18’) years he played in a combined 17 games, totaling just 17 tackles and one TFL.
In 2019, his junior year, Butler was awarded a much bigger role. He started four games and played in all 13 games, as a major contributor to the defensive line. On the season Butler would record 45 tackles, 3 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, and two PBUs.
As a senior in the 2020 shortened covid season, Butler put together a very comparable season to his 2019 season. In ten games, all starts, he played 499 defensive snaps, while recording 43 tackles, three TFLs, two sacks, one PBU, and one forced fumble.
After two ho-hum seasons, Butler came back as a super senior, to improve his draft stock. Under d-line coach Rodney Garner, Butler put together quite the season, especially as a pass rusher. He started all 13 games, playing 726 defensive snaps, while producing career highs in tackles (47), TFLs (8½), and sacks (5), with one forced fumble.
Career Stats
Games – 53
Starts – 26
Tackles – 152
Solos – 68
TFLs – 16
Sacks – 9½
PBUs – 3
FF – 2
Scouting Report
Positives
Butler is a versatile big framed defensive lineman with extremely good length and power. He does a good job of using his length, power, and leverage to hold blockers, then stack and shed (bench press). A stingy run stopper, who has recently developed a sneaky good pass rush from the interior. Butler‘s burst off the snap and good hand placement allows him to routinely win in one-on-one matchups. He possesses a solid toolbox full of pass rush moves and the football IQ to understand how and when to use them.
Butler is experienced and plays well in both 3 and 4 techniques, and can play the 5-technique solidly. He has a very good initial burst and times the opponent snaps extremely well, which allows him to quickly gain the advantage over opposing blockers. Butler has a strong base and can anchor down, closing off any potential running lanes. He plays with a high motor and excels as a one-gap defender. Butler knows his limitations and has the awareness and willingness to change when initial moves aren’t working. His effort and work ethic are elite.
Negatives
While Butler displays the physical traits to beat blockers off the snap, his secondary moves can be lacking at times. While you like his burst-off the snap, he doesn’t possess the change direction or pursuit speed to run down plays. With that Butler doesn’t play as well in space as you would like, which allows speedy, quick twitchy backs to beat him fairly easily. This also leads to him missing a number of tackles.
He has good length but can struggle with athletic, long-limbed offensive linemen, especially when they can lock on their blocks. Speaking of blocks, Butler struggles with double teams, which isn’t uncommon but does need to improve. There will be questions if he was just a one-year guy last season or if he can replicate that success at the pro level.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital – Fourth Round
Expected Role – Solid rotational player/backup
Potential Landing Spots
It’s always tough to predict where a player will get drafted to play, but I have a few teams for Butler that I feel would be excellent landing spots. With his experience and versatility to play all along the interior defensive line, there should be multiple suitors for his services. A player like Butler can be a valuable addition to any team and in any scheme.
One potential landing spot for Butler would be the New York Giants, who don’t have a lot of depth along their interior defensive front. The Giants could use an interior presence to play between stars Leonard Williams and Azeez Ojulari. Butler can be a nice rotational piece for New York and upgrade their defensive line group.
Another landing spot for Butler that I feel would make sense, would be the Pittsburgh Steelers. Outside of star Cameron Heyward, the Steelers have an unimpressive defensive line group. A player like Butler that can stop the run and provide a pass rush from the inside, would open up a lot of things for the rest of that defense. Pittsburgh also has a history of drafting players from Tennessee.
Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to hit me up with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy.
