General Manager Scott Fitterer & Head Coach Matt Rhule
RE: What Coach Matt Rhule liked about today’s picks
Matt Rhule: I think Scott (Fitterer) called me on the way in this morning with the potential of maybe moving up. Talked about certain guys. Brandon Smith was a guy that we targeted for a long time. I don’t know what, Scott, six foot four, two hundred and fifty pounds, four five forty. Part of that group of kids that is young. Came out early. You see all the physical traits. Especially in this division where you have to have linebackers who can run with tight ends, run with running backs. And so just being persistent enough to find a way to get back into the fourth. To think yesterday we didn’t have a second or third. We got into the third. We were able to get back into the fourth. Pick up a physical specimen like Brandon Smith and then follow that up by two other of the fastest players in the draft. So, really excited about the moves that were made to get Brandon here.
RE: If Brandon Smith or Matt Rhule was the better linebacker out of Penn State
MR: Yeah, I got a text that Brandon didn’t know that I had played there. You would be surprised that there are not a lot of pictures of me hanging at the Penn State football facility. They are saved for like LaVar Arrington, Jack Hamm, those types of guys. Shane Conlan. But in all seriousness, Brandon has got all the tools to be a great talent and a great player. Now the real work starts, right? You take guys coming out after three years. Especially with the COVID year. You know (Penn State Head) Coach (James) Franklin and them do a great job, but we really have to get them here and get them to learn our system so we can get them on the field as fast as possible.
RE: If Rhule recruited Kalon Barnes at Baylor
MR: Yeah, I recruited “Boogie” (Barnes) and coached him for I guess it would be two years now.
RE: What Rhule remembers from coaching Barnes and bringing him to Carolina
MR: I think the biggest thing is that he went…