Top 30 athletes under 30
By Robert Judin
24. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers – 29 years old
Clay Matthews barely qualified for this list because he’s 29, but it still counts.
While Luke Kuechly is currently the best middle linebacker in the National Football League, you’d be hard pressed to find a linebacker that has made bigger plays than Matthews has made in the seven years he’s spent with the Green Bay Packers.
He was the defensive anchor of the Packers when they won the Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2010-11 season.
While he doesn’t have the total tackles that Kuechly has in almost twice the time put in by the Carolina Panthers’ linebacker, Matthews has been a quarterback’s worst nightmare since 2009.
The Packers made Matthews the No. 26 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft out of USC, and he responded by posting 10 sacks as a rookie.
Since then he’s added 55.5 more sacks to bring his total to 65.5 — and counting. He’s picked off six passes so far and forced 12 fumbles.
But sometimes the numbers lie, because Matthews is so good that other teams try to move the ball away from him. They’re not always successful, but they certainly try. Matthews is usually the first thing offensive coordinators bring up when they’re getting ready to face the Packers.
He’s made the move to middle linebacker now, and he’s still adjusting to the position. It’s bigger change than one would imagine it to be, but Matthews has done well so far. The more comfortable he gets with playing in the middle, the scarier he’ll be.
Next: No. 23 Blake Griffin