3 Things to know about Cowboys Day 3 pick, OT Matt Waletzko
In a draft heavy on need-filling picks, former North Dakota Fighting Hawk OT Matt Waletzko may have a shot at seeing some time on field this year with the Dallas Cowboys. The fifth-round pick is a strong athlete for his position and seems to have a lot of promise. The circumstances dictate he can see the field, even as a fifth-round rookie.
Franchise LT Tyron Smith is still an elite player but has been unavailable due to injury a lot over the last few seasons. Starting RT Terrence Steele showed a fair amount of promise last season with immense improvement from his 2020 campaign but his consistency is the question on everyone’s mind. Behind these two are Josh Ball and Aviante Collins. Between those two and Waletzko, the Cowboys will work to identify their swing tackle of the future. Here’s how Waletzko arrived in the NFL.
1) Early Years and Recruitment
Waletzko (Woll-etz-go) was born in Cold Spring, Minnesota, a short drive up the 94 from Minneapolis. He would attend Rocori High School which is an acronym for a congregation of surround towns formed into one high school.
Although he was 6-foot-7 as a high school senior, Waletzko would be an unranked recruit by 247’s composite rankings but a 2-star recruit on their own board. He would ultimately chose to attend North Dakota to become a Fighting Hawk.
2) College Career
Waletzko saw playing time early and often in his collegiate career. As a true freshman he saw time in nine games and finished the season off as the starting left tackle in the final five games. He’c continue this streak for another six games the following season but would suffer a season ending injury.
As a junior returning from injury he impressed, starting all seven games at left tackle due to the shortened COVID season. In his last season as a senior he’d hold down the left tackle spot in every game except the finale as an injury kept him sidelined. After a career of only allowing five sacks he finally got recognition from the likes of ESPN as the 22nd-ranked tackle in the nation. Accumulating so many MVFC honors saw his name get called for the Reese’s Senior Bowl where he performed well, proving his worth against the best of the best.
3) Play Style and Fit
Waletzko was drafted with the selection Dallas received when trading Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns. His development will ultimately be associated with the front office’s decision to move on from their No. 1 receiver, which was not well received by much of the fanbase.
First and foremost, Waletzko possesses an elite frame with extremely long arms and power to boot. At 6-foot-8, 312 pounds he moves well for someone of that size.
Often taller guys struggle with their base and bend higher than they should however Waletzko showed a lot of promise in this area. He struggles to keep his pads low consistently and has awkward posture at times which has given him. a hard time in the pass game but given his size, power and mobility he is solid as a run blocker. With their starting tackle spots all but sured up,
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