University of South Florida offensive lineman Bayron Matos has had private workouts with the offensive line coaches of several teams, including the Indianapolis Colts, according to Aaron Wilson.
Along with the Colts, other teams who have shown interest in Matos include Dallas, Jacksonville, Denver, Arizona, and the New York Jets.
Matos has actually played very little football. He is from the Dominican Republic and came to the United States to pursue basketball. In spring of 2022, he walked on at South Florida and saw 11 snaps as an interior defender, according to PFF, and 11 snaps on special teams. He was eventually moved to the offensive side of the ball to be a lineman.
Matos would be part of the NFL’s International Pathway program, which provides elite international athletes with the opportunity to develop and compete at the NFL level. Whichever team Matos ends up on, can apply for a roster exemption, allowing them to carry 91 players – instead of 90 – during training camp and the preseason.
Matos measures in at 6-7 and weighs 313 pounds. He is a terrific athlete, posting an excellent Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.33, which featured a 4.9-second 40-yard dash and a 7.64-second 3-cone.
With Matos, teams would be betting on his elite athletic traits, with the hope that with time and the proper development, his full potential could be unlocked.
Although not quite the same, we’ve seen GM Chris Ballard take swings in the past with raw, high upside athletes late in the draft, with the most recent example being offensive tackle Jake Witt, who played at DII Northern Michigan.
