Biggest risers from the 2022 college all-star events:

North Dakota offensive tackle Matt Waletzko

OT Matt Waletzko, North Dakota

Going back to a lesser-known commodity in draft circles, Waletzko was just a two-star recruit in 2018, who ended up starting 28 career games at left tackle at North Dakota (not state). He was a team captain for the Athletics and a first-team All-MVFC selection in 2021, even though a shoulder injury forced him to miss their final game.

Let’s be real here – it was a bad week of practice for the offensive tackle group down in Mobile. Whether it was the athletic upside guys like Central Michigan’s Bernard Raimann or the other small-school names, they got their asses kicked, for the most part, by a group of edge defenders. So for Waletzko to be the one who stood out the most to me is pretty impressive. He displayed great balance and patience with keeping shoulders square during one-on-ones, while finishing appropriately, by landing on top of guys who went to the ground, watching them stumble themselves or, at times, also helping them down there, by sort of pushing them down when they tried to dip underneath him. I just really loved the fact he never seemed to overreact to moves, kept his feet moving and just how easy he made it look against some of the top edge rushers in the country, despite the jump in competition.

He had a couple of outstanding reps against Minnesota’s Boye Mafe on Wednesday, forcing him to overrun the arc and landing with his chest on the defender’s back once each. However, we did see the speedy edge rusher get around him on day three, as Waletzko can get a little too aggressive with active forcing his opponents to take a wider angle or just not knocking them off track, instead of sticking with his kick-slide and, more so, guiding them on their path. In the run game, Waletzko showed the ability to get his shoulders turned to the sideline and open up a lane inside of him, as well as staying under good control when climbing up to linebackers and then running his feet through contact, despite standing tall at 6’7″. Along with that, he got a chance to put his mobility on display in the actual game, when the National team got him out on the nickel in the screen game.

When you get guys from small programs – especially ones that went 5-6 last season in the FCS – it’s usually about showing a competitive spirit and improving throughout the week. I thought Waletzko looked like he belonged from day one and only got better. He did receive a combine invite and should test fairly well, but after what I saw from him, I’m already trying to get my hands on some North Dakota tape.