Raiders Draft Matthew Butler With 175th Overall Pick

A busy Saturday afternoon continued for the Las Vegas Raiders when they traded the 164th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to the Los Angeles Rams for the No. 175 and No. 238 overall picks.

Las Vegas selected Tennessee defensive tackle Matthew Butler with the 175th overall pick, its only pick in the fifth round.

Butler, a Raleigh, N.C., native, played five seasons for the Volunteers. While the 6-4, 297-pound prospect was a force on Tennessee's defensive line, he excelled in the classroom as well, having been named to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 First Team and the 2021 CoSIDA All-American Second Team.

The defensive tackle appeared in eight games for the Volunteers in his freshman season (2017) and recorded four tackles. He was played in nine games the following season, recording 13 combined tackles and one tackle for a loss.

Butler's college career would take off in his junior season, when he led Tennessee's D-line with 45 combined tackles despite making only four starts in 13 games. He had six five-tackle games that season.

The prospect returned in 2020 as a full-time starter, making starts in all 10 of the Volunteers' games. He recorded five or more tackles in five games. Butler tallied 43 combined tackles, three tackles for losses, two sacks, four quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one pass defended.

Butler's four years of experience led to the best season of his college career in his fifth and final season with Tennessee. The defensive tackle was ranked as a top-10 defensive lineman in rush defense by Pro Football Focus after registering 47 combined tackles, 8.5 tackles for losses and five sacks in 12 starts for the Volunteers.

His 2021 campaign earned him invitations to the East-West Shrine Game and the 2022 NFL Combine.

Butler ran a 5.00 40-yard dash time at the combine, along with a 32.00-inch vertical jump. He also recorded a 9-foot, 4-inch broad jump.

Las Vegas' selection of Butler followed another defensive tackle pickup in LSU's Neil Farrell Jr. The D-line has clearly been an emphasis for Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler in this year's draft.

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