Flashback Friday – Matt Kalil, A Giant Draft Bust
LeeAnn Lowman
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No NFL team is exempt from a bad draft pick, and the Minnesota Vikings are no exception. One of their biggest busts was Matt Kalil. Drafted 4th overall in 2012, Kalil came with a ton of promise. Instead of living up to that promise Kalil was mediocre, injury-prone, and had a nasty chip on his shoulder.
So Much Potential
Kalil, who is the younger brother of 5-time Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil, was a stand-out athlete in high school in both football and track and field. He was honored with several awards including Cal-Hi Sports All-State First Team, All CIF Pac-5 Division First Team, and Parade All-American (among many others); he was considered a 5-star recruit by Rivals.com.
He followed in his brother’s footsteps and went to the University of Southern California. During his time at USC, he excelled. He won his starting spot his sophomore year and helped the Trojan offensive line average 456.8 yards of total offense. That solid offensive front helped to protect quarterback Matt Barkley and limit him to only being sacked 8 times that season, which was an FBS low, and none of those sacks were misses by Kalil. He once again was heaped with honors including being named to multiple All-American teams, winning the Morris trophy, and being a finalist for the Lombardi Award.
A Brillant Draft Selection
Kalil had a strong showing at the NFL Combine and that helped his draft stock to soar. The nearly 6’7” 306 lb tackle had tremendously long arms and large hands. He was faster than he should have been and more agile than expected for his size.
Draft day came and all the signs pointed to the Vikings drafting him with their first selection, 3rd overall. However, GM Rick Spielman engineered a brilliant trade. He traded with the Cleveland Browns back to the 4th spot and gave them the 3rd pick. This also gave the Vikings an additional pick that year in the 4th, 5th, and 7th rounds. Not only did Spielman get his man he also managed to score some extra picks – it made him look like a genius. Kalil was thrilled: he was the first offensive lineman selected in the first round since Bryant McKinnie in 2002 and the 2nd highest-drafted OL in franchise history.
A Rookie Showing Out
Kalil appeared to live up to all of his promise and more during his rookie season, allowing only two sacks. This had him ranked by PFF 21st out of 80 OTs. There have been some questions raised about his actual performance versus his perceived performance. Regardless, it is clear that Kalil’s first season in the NFL was his best.
In his sophomore season, Kalil returned as a starter to the Viking OL and the slump was noticeable. By the end of the season, he ranked 51 out of 80 OTs. Kalil blamed his poor performance on a bout of pneumonia he dealt with in December of 2012. He lost a substantial amount of weight and said he had to spend most of the offseason trying to put that weight back on.
If 2013 was a fluke caused by his recovery, then he needed a new explanation for 2014. It was his statistical worst year. He allowed more sacks and pressures than ever before, ranking 81 out of 84 linemen. This time Kalil blamed a knee injury.
What Went Wrong?
There are numerous theories about what happened with Kalil. Some point out that perhaps he got a bit lucky for a couple of years or that his opponents were actually worse, inflating his scores. Some think maybe he lost his appetite for football. Kalil himself has blamed his troubles in Minnesota on two things – the offensive coaching staff and his health/injuries. One of the factors that upset fans the most was that Kalil did not seem to take any ownership over his mistakes. Instead, Kalil argued with fans both in person and on social media. He even knocked the hat off a heckler’s head after causing several penalties.
Kalil left the Vikings after a 5-year roller-coaster ride of injuries and bad attitudes and signed a whopper of a contract with the Carolina Panthers – 5 years, $55 million with $25 million guaranteed. It seemed Carolina hoped he would excel playing on the same team as his older brother. Unfortunately, his inconsistencies followed him.
Matt Kalil goes down in Vikings lore as one of the biggest draft busts in team history.
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