Jim Harbaugh on Scott Matlock [Music] Scott Matlock was a player that we hadn't heard much about all off season until the final interview with Jim Harbaugh from mini camp and he had some very high praise for him I mean just listen to this clip uh he's just all about his business all about the work all about the team like a lot of leaders it's not about what they say it's about what they do he smashed the conditioning test and then he felt the the ground was a little too soft because it had rained you know we were in the late morning and I watched him go and pat down the you know the surface so it was harder for the next group that was was uh running making the surface harder so they could get their get their plant and turn just everything that he does every every every way that he he goes from meeting to the training environment to the to the practices there every day I mean the power of the there every day Ted there's no question that you get better at football by being there every day so my Scott Matlock is a Leader immediate takeaway from this was that he identified Scott Matlock as a leader in someone who leads by example he brought up that story of him cleaning up the turf on the practice field after the rain as an example of his leadership but also I noticed that he said he smashed the conditioning test he also said the only other guy that I remember Jim harau saying smash the conditioning test was Justin Herbert and he said Justin Herbert could be an edge rusher or a tight end and we'll get to that tight end stuff later but Scott Matlock smashed the conditioning test and then went and cleaned up the field if we look at Scott matlock's R score coming out of college he went to Boise State you can see how absurdly athletic that he is for a defensive lineman with some great Speed and Agility while not having any like real size concerns 6'4 is pretty good as an interior uh defensive lineman it's a little bit tall but under 300 lb that's not too big of a deal and honestly these are his measurables coming out of Boise State so he might be over 300 lb now add a little bit of girth to him plus he's with Ben Herbert now and I'm sure he's going to be able to add some Mass onto him to get over that 300 lb Mark I mean just look at the way that Zion Johnson looks already the guy looks like Hulk and just look at Scott Matlock himself right now I mean the guy is like a ginger Viking we got two Ginger Vikings on this team number one Scott Matlock obviously and then Hayden Hurst but Scott Matlock was Scott Matlock Highlights the sixth round pick out of Boise State in the 2023 draft last year and this is a guy who has an extremely high ceiling I already showed you the numbers that prove how good of an athlete he is because that was actually one of the questions of his coming out of college is how good of an athlete is he and Jim Harbaugh himself said he smashed the conditioning test with Ben Herbert but he also played tight end in high school and he played basketball as well so he's a multiport athlete he wasn't just dabbling at the tight end position and playing for fun in high school he was an allconference tight end player as well as an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman in his senior season at Homedale high school and he also played golf in high school which I guess that's another sport that he plays that shows like his patience and his discipline right and it shows maybe his technique that he can get better at football and his technique but I am more interested in this tight end stuff than the golf stuff he was only a two star Prospect coming out of high school decided to commit to Boise State where he played Five Seasons and at Boise State he was a three-year starter at the defensive line position but also contributed as a tight end for two different touchdowns in the Red Zone I already talked about a couple times already how Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman they are no strangers putting in those offensive linemen and even defensive linemen at the fullback in tight end positions in those jumbo sets in order to confuse defenses in short yardage situations and Scott Matlock he has shown the ability to be an actual tight end in high school at a very high level kind of like Joe alt actually so you you have your pick right now you can put Joe Al out there or you can put Scott Matlock out there at tight end in those jumbo sets in the red zone and even Trey pipkins he caught a touchdown in the NFL already so you have three guys to choose from plus Jordan mcfaden we saw him at fullback there are so many things that we can do with all of these offensive linemen and defensive linemen they they have so much room for creativity in those short yarded situations plus we got Gus Edwards back there okay this is about Scott madlock I'm getting way too excited about these Red Zone scenarios Scott Matlock Boise State Play Style but my point is Scott Matlock he has shown the ability to play tight end at an allconference level in high school as well as playing it at Boise State he was two for two in his targets to conversion into touchdown ratio so you know give him a shot but as a defensive lineman Scott Matlock is a very high motive player that has a pretty good combination of power as well as quickness which is exactly what you want in an interior defensive lineman in this Jesse Mentor scheme he plays a little bit wild at times reminds me a little bit of Derek wolf because of like his play style and honestly just like the look of him but also a guy that came out this year Braden Fisk he's not as polished or quick as Braden Fisk I mean Braden Fisk was like next level quick and athletic but that is kind of the play style in terms of pass rush ability and the Run Stop ability he's able to eat up gaps and clog runs but he doesn't do it consistently and he is susceptible to being like blown back by a double team block or a cut block that he just doesn't really see coming I will say that he rarely fell down when I was watching him which after watching Joey Bosa and every single snap he played last year and how Reckless he was it was nice to see someone that you know would would rarely touch the turf but I actually went back to see if he was a wrestler because you know I was pretty impressed with his balance and his hips and he was a wrestler in high school as well so we're talking about a guy who is just a pure athlete played multiple different sports multiple different positions in football and a very high effort player very high motor player who is willing to do the dirty work on the field so it is no wonder that Jim Harbaugh loves him never really like in a good position I guess I would say Last year with the Chargers specifically because of this Brandon saley defense you guys know how bad that was but he did manage they were really not good at all but Jim Harbaugh said that Scott Matlock is there every day working hard to get better which will happen if you show up every day just like Jim Harbaugh said and he even mentioned Scott Matlock as one of the major leaders on this team and a tone Setter in practices the ones I've said Derwin no doubt about it Justin no question about it ran Slater Joey khil Scotty Matlock the way they the way they set the tone the way they lead and guys lead in different ways I mean there's sample Setters tone Setters right now Scott Matlock is projected to be a starter on this defensive line alongside Puna Ford on the interior I think the reason that he's currently already a leader on this team but also somebody who elevates the Defenders around him I mean the Chargers they really haven't had a a good Jim Harbaugh Interview defensive lineman for a long time I mean Jerry Tillery was was the last guy that we really took a big swing at in the first round to try to get that good defensive lineman and we saw how well that paid off for us but we really need someone that can just take on blockers and free up the other pass rushers on the pass on the passing Downs while also Scott Matlock to start? freeing up the linebackers and the defensive backs and the running play so that they can just come downfield cleanly and make the tackle it having a good defensive lineman to eat up those blocks in those gaps like Scott Matlock couldn't potentially do it is so so valuable in a defense and Jim Harbaugh he sees that potential in Scott Matlock Scott Matlock he just now needs to prove himself and develop his game in order to prove Coach Harbaugh correct and I hope that kamman Vidal proves me to be correct because I made some pretty bold claims in this video