Former Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews was drafted into the National Football League by the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday in the fourth round. @@http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/eagles-hope-casey-matthews-is-a-chip/41c1ad97ccd8495b9afbee934b5f2d24@@
Matthews played a key role in leading the Ducks to the BCS National Championship Game last season, leading the team with 79 tackles to go along with three sacks and three interceptions. Honored as a First-Team All-Pac-10 member by conference coaches, as well as a Second-Team All-American by Scout.com, he was Oregon’s only player to participate in the Senior Bowl after the 2010-11 season came to an end. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=1149796@@
Selected with the 116^th pick overall, Matthews was excited to join the professional ranks.
“I knew that it was one of the teams I wanted to go to,” Matthews told The Register-Guard. “It’s a dream come true. They drafted me (and) I’m looking forward to getting out there and just being part of a team that wins.” @@http://special.registerguard.com/web/sports/26191544-41/matthews-nfl-rodgers-draft-miller.html.csp@@
Casey is just one more member of the Matthews family to play in the NFL. His older brother, Clay Matthews III, is coming off a Super Bowl championship with the Green Bay Packers. Clay Matthews II, Casey’s father, played in the league for 19 years. @@http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2011/04/eagles-draft-casey-matthews-brother-of-packers-clay-matthews/1@@
Matthews was the only Oregon player to be selected in the 2011 NFL draft.