'I want it so much more,' Matthews says
BY ROB DEMOVSKY
A famous last name will get you only so far.
For Clay Matthews, it got him in the door at USC, where his father and his uncle built their NFL careers.
The rest was up to him.
His name doesnt matter now, not after the Green Bay Packers traded up to pick the former college walk-on with the 26th pick in Saturdays draft.
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The son of Clay Matthews Jr., who played 19 NFL seasons, the nephew of Bruce Matthews, a Hall of Famer who played in more NFL games (296) than any player in history, and the grandson of Clay Matthews Sr., who played four seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the 1950s, Clay Matthews III took a most circuitous route to professional football.
As a high school junior, he weighed 166 pounds and couldnt win a starting job on a defense coordinated by his own father. Though he gained weight and started as a senior, he didnt have a single Division I scholarship offer. So he was invited to walk on at Southern Cal, if for no other reason than he was a legacy both dad and uncle Bruce played there.
He redshirted as a freshman and worked his way on to the special teams the next year. That, in itself, was remarkable considering all the blue-chip recruits coach Pete Carroll brings to USC.
Finally, in his senior year, when the 6-foot-3 Matthews bulked up to 240 pounds, he got his shot in one of the most talented linebacking corps in the country. He started the final 10 games of the season and then blew away NFL scouts with his workouts.
When I was talking to him, it was clear that hes a man on a mission, Packers outside linebackers coach Kevin Greene said. Everybody knows his genealogy and his bloodlines, but just listening to him and hearing him talk, hes a man on a mission that he wants to stand on his own and be considered a great player in his own right.
Youve gotta love the fact that hes a former walk-on. Those kind of guys had to scratch and claw and fight for everything, for all their success. That stuff doesnt come easy, so I really like that about him, that he wasnt just a God-given scholarship kind of kid.
Matthews doesnt apologize for his obscure beginnings but rather embraces it.
Most walk-ons dont have enough determination and grit and hard work within them to be in the position I am today, he said. I kept plugging away. It would have been easy for me to quit and just walk away from it, but I want it so much more. I think thats why Im in the position I am today.
In many ways, Matthews is Ted Thompsons kind of player. The Packers general manager -- who traded his second-round pick (No. 41 overall) and a pair of third-rounders (Nos. 73 and 83) to New England for picks 26 and 162 (a fifth-rounder) to get Matthews -- was a backup linebacker in the NFL who made his living for 10 seasons as a special teams player.
But the Packers expect much more than just special teams play from Matthews. In the switch to the 3-4 defense, they lack a second outside linebacker to team with Aaron Kampman. Though it might be too much to ask of a rookie, Matthews likely will get a shot at earning that starting job.
He plays the game remarkable, Thompson said. Hes got some interesting traits that are not unlike his father, the Clay who played for Cleveland for a long, long time.
"Hes got the ability to extend his hand and leverage against offensive lineman and stay on his feet in positions where most people wouldnt be able to stay on their feet. I just think he brings a lot to the table. Hes accomplished certainly as a pass rusher and a run defender, but hes also athletic and can move and has a feel for space.