Penn State Nittany Lions edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos has officially declared for the 2020 NFL Draft.
The underclassmen declarations are flying in for the 2020 NFL Draft, with Penn State edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos the latest to join the growing group.
Gross-Matos was a player on many analysts’ radars heading into the 2019 season. As a sophomore, Gross-Matos had eight sacks and a whopping 20 tackles for loss, so expectations for him were high coming into his junior year.
He hasn’t met those expectations, but it’s been a solid year for Gross-Matos production-wise. He had eight sacks once again and finished with 13.5 tackles for loss in the regular season.
Gross-Matos isn’t done for the season, as his tweet indicated he will suit up for Penn State’s bowl game.
WE ARE!!! pic.twitter.com/UaCBX39nhm
— Yetur Gross-Matos (@__lobo99) December 3, 2019
As far as his film and traits go, Gross-Matos is definitely in the first-round conversation for the 2020 NFL Draft. At 6’5″ and 264 pounds, teams will love his size to play on the edge, as well as his length, which is an underrated physical trait to have as a pass rusher.
Gross-Matos has the potential to be a three-down defender at the next level. He sets the edge very well in the run game and has solid movement skills to work across the field and make plays. As a pass rusher, he has heavy hands and plenty of lower body strength to win with power, but he also can get off the snap pretty quick to attack gaps and make plays in the backfield.
It will be interesting to see how Gross-Matos tests at the Scouting Combine, especially when it comes to agility and explosion, which isn’t as evident on tape. Regardless of how that goes, teams will still love the three-down ability and size and likely consider him at least a day-two prospect.