21. Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State
Height: 6’5″ Weight: 266
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: 20 reps
Vertical Jump: 34.0 inches
Broad Jump: 120.0 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: A basketball, track, and football guy in high school, Gross-Matos chose Penn State over Alabama, Clemson, Virginia and Virginia Tech, and Tennessee among others and amassed 11 tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss, and 18.5 sacks through three seasons (the last two as a primary participant).
Gross-Matos has withstood multiple family tragedies in his young life. Michael Gross, his biological father, died at age 29 after he and 2-year old Yetur fell off a boat into the Chesapeake Bay in May, 2000. Yetur was saved by his grandfather, but Yetur’s father drowned. Chelal, Yetur’s older brother died at age 12 in June, 2009 after he was struck by lightning at a Little League baseball field. Yetur added the name of his stepfather, Rob Matos, after his mother Sakinah remarried and Rob adopted Yetur and his siblings.
“They just asked me about what’s the hardest thing I ever went through,” Gross-Matos said at the combine, when asked what NFL teams were trying to bring out of him. “Obviously for me, that was losing my older brother at a young age. And my dad. Just dealing with that. I want to do something better for my family and my mother and that’s kind of how I approached it. That’s the reality of it.
“My mother, Sakinah, she’s a phenomenal, phenomenal woman. And she sacrificed a lot. She lost a lot. And she just keeps positive. She’s the most positive person I know. I’ve got endless love for my mother. She’s the best woman I know.
“My adopted father, I don’t call him my stepdad. He’s just my dad because he’s been a father to me my whole life. Obviously, it sucks not knowing your biological father, but I’ve always had a father as far as I can remember. So, he’s treated me just like his son and I’m eternally grateful for him.”
Stat to Know: In 2019, Gross-Matos lined up 19 snaps in the A-gap, 60 in the B-gap, 19 over the tackle, and 469 outside the tackle. He had 38 total pressures in just 330 pass-rushing snaps.
Strengths: Smooth mover with impressive power from the first step through the snap. Has the capacity to rag-doll blockers out of the way. When he keeps his pad level low, can spring with strength to force blockers off their plan. Length/speed combination gives him an inherent advantage when closing the pocket. Easily and readily works into the interior post-snap to provide inside pressure. Inside move with a rip can be highly effective against tackles. Asjusts well to run plays on the fly, and has a good sense of pocket space to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. Diagnoses well to the ball in mush-rush situations. Looks comfortable along the defensive line — not a one-gap player at the next level.
Weaknesses: Like a lot of collegiate defensive linemen, Gross-Matos hasn’t yet developed his hand movement and technique to the point where it’s an asset. Spends too much time wrestling when he should be attacking. Can be taken out by blocks to his side — smoothness can also fall into a lack of urgency at times.
Conclusion: Defensive linemen with Gross-Matos’ ability to move along the line and win in a “positionless” fashion are more desirable than ever. There’s a lot to like about his game, and if he’s able to become more sudden, he could be a multi-front weapon for a long time at the NFL level. He’d look great as a 3-4 end back when teams had 3-4 ends; now, he can work to either end of the offensive tackle in stalwart fashion.
NFL Comparison: Preston Smith. Like the Mississippi State alum, selected by the Redskins in the second round of the 2015 draft, Gross-Matos combines a lot of desirable natural movement and strength skills, but could use more urgency and violence in his play, especially when dealing with blockers in close hand-fighting.