OT Matt Peart: The Pick at a Glance
After choosing UConn over several other suitors, Matt Peart redshirted his first year on campus. In that time, he put on 40 pounds of muscle and took his place at left tackle the following season.
For the next two years, he started every game at left tackle paving the way for runners and keeping defensive ends off of the quarterback.
In 2018, his junior season, he switched from left tackle to the right side where he continued to play at a high-level gathering first team all conference recognition.
Peart is tall (6-foot-7) and surprisingly lean for a lineman (318 lbs) with ridiculously long arms (36.75 inches) so it is no surprise that he was a pro prospect.
What makes him even more intriguing is that he comes from a basketball background which is why he looks so athletic when you see him running around on film. That high level of athleticism makes him ideal for blocking edge rushers in pass protection.
RELATED: Draft Prospect Profile: Matt Peart
You should also see his size and athleticism work well in the run game where you will more than likely see the Giants running many zone schemes from one-back sets.
Peart should excel at climbing to the second level and engaging smaller, athletic defenders. It should be like playing defense for him.
For the Giants Peart represents an opportunity to overhaul an offensive line that has underachieved over the past few years. The addition of their first round draft pick Andrew Thomas to play left tackle allows Peart to learn behind veteran Nate Solder on the right side and eventually become the heir apparent.
This is a good thing for Peart because it allows him to ease into his role in the NFL which is a leap from some of the talent he has encountered while playing for UConn.
Listening to the Giants braintrust talk about Peart it seems clear that they believe he can be a major contributor for a long time to come. They also know that he is not a finished product and they are excited to discover what that product looks like.
What they said…
Giants GM Dave Gettleman on Matt Peart.
"He's athletic and he's long and we sure think he's got a lot of upside for a young kid and he's just a guy that the coaching staff really wanted to work with."
Giants Head Coach Joe Judge on Peart's size and having the chance to work with him.
"It's rare to describe someone who's 315 pounds as skinny, but that's what he is. And he's an athletic guy. He's got a lot of lengths to him. You know we feel good about his character, his work ethic, you know, he's excited to come on in here and work hard and uh, you know, we can't wait to get him on the field."
Gettleman on why they decided to choose another tackle instead of addressing center.
"It's about value, and he [Peart] was too good of a value to pass by. It's that simple. We had him rated way ahead of the rest of the centers we had on our board."
Judge on Peart's upside.
"He definitely has a lot of upside. I don't want to say he's developmental he's developing and they all are. He had tremendous work ethic, he's got a great attitude. You know I think we're going to see a lot better football in the future than we've seen of him already."
Round 3, No. 99: Tackle Matt Peart
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 318 pounds
College: UConn
Class: r-Senior
- Moved to the Bronx from Kingston Jamaica when he was four years old.
- He went to Governor's Academy in Massachusetts for high school which is where he first began playing football
- Started 48 straight games in four seasons for UConn
- Started two seasons at left tackle and two seasons at right tackle
- 2018 blocked for two 1000-yard rushers
- 2019 First-team All-American Athletic Conference at tackle
- 2019 Team Captain; 2020 senior Bowl and NFL Combine invitee
