With The First Pick
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Yetur Gross-Matos declares and stakes claim as first rounder in 2020 NFL Draft

By Seth Steere

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 13: Yetur Gross-Matos #99 of the Penn State Nittany Lions hurries Brian Lewerke #14 of the Michigan State Spartans on October 13, 2018 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 13: Yetur Gross-Matos #99 of the Penn State Nittany Lions hurries Brian Lewerke #14 of the Michigan State Spartans on October 13, 2018 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 10: Yetur Gross-Matos #99 of the Penn State Nittany Lions hits the arm of Jack Coan #17 of the Wisconsin Badgers as he throws during the second half at Beaver Stadium on November 10, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 10: Yetur Gross-Matos #99 of the Penn State Nittany Lions hits the arm of Jack Coan #17 of the Wisconsin Badgers as he throws during the second half at Beaver Stadium on November 10, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Strengths to Gross-Matos’ game

By now you have probably heard the term, “all men are created equal”, but with one glance at Gross-Matos, this quote can be thrown out the window. Yetur has the size and build that the NFL is looking for: 6’5″, 264-pounds and he holds his weight very well.

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He uses his size and power to his advantage by getting his hands on the opponent’s chest plate, just inside his armpits allowing for him to control the point of attack. He isn’t the most explosive athlete off the line (will touch on this in the “cons” section), but he is a threat to take the edge and is able to win inside with a powerful hump move — you may have seen this once or twice from Reggie White.

His power doesn’t just come in handy when rushing the passer, but against the run as well. If you want to force him off his place, it will likely take a double-team to do so, he sets a great anchor against the run and is nearly immovable in one-on-one situations. He holds great balance at the point of attack and very seldom does he find himself on the ground. Gross-Matos get his hands to points of control quickly off the snap allowing for him to stack-and-shed players with ease.

Gross-Matos is effective against both the run and pass, a big-part of that can be attributed to his change-of-direction skill. Most of the time when you’re dealing with a guy who is built like Yetur is, they have a hard time moving through traffic, but this isn’t the case; he has enough flexibility in his hips and upper body to dip-n-rip through the offensive line as they try to get there hands on him. He isn’t the most bendy athlete, but he’s shown the ability to turn upfield, and it can especially be seen on stunt plays.

Equipped with a high motor, Gross-Matos takes very few plays off and tries to put himself into every play. Whether it be against the run or pass, he is consistently looking to make a play, something NFL decision-makers will fall in love with.

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