Mark Matthews

Physical Profile

Listed at 6-6, 285 lbs. Taller than 46% and heavier than 27% of 2027 Offensive Tackle prospects in the SEC Scouts database (37 with a listed size).

Play Style

Matthews plays like an athlete first. In pass protection he uses quick, balanced sets and trusts his length and feet to steer rushers past the quarterback rather than overpower them. In the run game he is at his best on reach and zone blocks and when climbing to linebackers, where he can take angles and use his range. He doesn't finish blocks with a mauler's nastiness every snap yet, but he wins with position and reach. Because he is new to the sport, he is still a little raw with his hands, but his movement lets him recover in ways less athletic tackles can't.

Strengths

• Pass-set movement: evaluators call his kick slide 'effortless.' He gets depth and width on his set without overstriding, so speed rushers have to take a long way around him.
• Athleticism from basketball: he was a rotational big on St. Thomas Aquinas' Florida 6A state-champion basketball team. That background shows in his footwork, balance and flexibility, and in the body control you rarely see from a 6-6 teenager.
• Moving to the second level: he climbs to linebackers easily in the run game, which makes him valuable in outside-zone and screen-heavy offenses where tackles have to block in space.
• Proven against top competition: he has started at left tackle since his sophomore year for a program that went 12-3 and 14-1 and won back-to-back Florida 5A titles, facing South Florida's deep pool of FBS defensive linemen every week.
• Development curve: he reached a top-five national ranking after only about three seasons of organized football, so the gap between where he is now and where he could be is bigger than for most five-stars.

Areas to Improve

• Hand technique and timing: like most late starters, he needs to work on where he places his punch, resetting his hands, and fighting with his hands once engaged. College rushers will attack his hands and chest with long-arm and club-swipe moves.
• Run-game power at the point of attack: his movement already stands out, but he needs to add strength and play with consistent pad level to drive-block in gap schemes and handle big 4i and 5-technique linemen.
• Football instincts: recognizing stunts, blitzes and games still depends partly on reps. Picking up SEC protection calls and communicating with the line will take time in the film room.
• Adding weight well: getting from about 285-300 to a sturdy 310+ without losing his redirect ability is the main job for his strength-and-nutrition program.

College Projection

He projects as a left tackle. Texas A&M's SEC-level strength program should add 15-25 lb over his first offseason. A realistic path is working as the top backup and in select packages as a true freshman in 2027, then competing for a starting tackle job by 2028. A redshirt year is possible if the depth chart is full. The main factor is how quickly his technique catches up to his athleticism. If it does, he could start for three years and become an all-conference player.

NFL Outlook

He has first-round potential. Tackles with his height, length, movement and short football résumé are the kind of prospects NFL teams value most, because his best football is likely ahead of him when he becomes draft-eligible after the 2029 season. The biggest questions will be whether he adds power and becomes consistent with his hands. If he develops normally and starts at left tackle in the SEC, a Day 1 draft grade is a realistic goal.

Best Fit

An SEC or power-conference program that recruits and develops offensive linemen well and has a proven line coach and strength staff. Texas A&M fits. He is best suited to an offense that uses a lot of outside/wide zone, screens and pass sets where the tackle has to protect in space, because that uses his athleticism right away while his gap-scheme power develops. He is a clear blindside tackle, not a candidate to move inside.