Matt Goncalves Works Through Injury to Shine at Pitt Pro Day

PITTSBURGH — Offensive lineman Matt Goncalves performed at Pitt Pro Day for NFL Teams on Wednesday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, showcasing his skills and talents that have him projected as an mid-round draft pick next month.

While him performing at Pro Day would normally come as unsurprising or unimportant, Goncalves needed to make his performance on Wednesday stand out. Unlike his other future cohorts, he didn’t perform at the NFL Combine earlier in March and is only just coming back from a serious injury.

Goncalves suffered this injury in the third game of last season for Pitt, against their rival West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl in mid-September. He left the awful loss in the fourth quarter and didn’t play again for the team the rest of the season, missing the final nine games.

He had another year of college football available for him, but Goncalves had a chance to go play in the NFL and ended his five-year stay with Pitt to go and make a living in the sport.

Goncalves spent eight weeks training in Pensacola, Fla. following the season, working on getting back into shape for Pro Day, but the injury he suffered made it much more difficult than many anticipated. The injury he sustained was not just in his foot, but specifically his big toe, which impacted his play greatly, especially as an offensive lineman.

“I don’t think it’s 100% yet,” Matt Goncalves said. “It’s still very stiff. Still needs a little bit to go and I think a little more time rehabbing, really stretching that tendon and getting it right. I like to think it’s a pretty serious injury. As much as a toe is kind of insignificant, it plays a big role. It’s hard to get back, especially on your big toe. So, it’s feeling kind of like 85-90%. I felt good enough to come out here and do drills today.”

The time in Pensacola proved vital for Goncalves, who rehabbed for the first eight weeks to get back to running and to normal performance. He also maintained workout regimens that other offensive linemen underwent, working to improve upon his upper body and lower body.

Goncalves chose to skip the NFL Combine, something that he knew he had to do to truly heal, even if it meant that NFL teams wouldn’t see him perform.

“I got to show what I got,” Goncalves said on his Pro Day performance. “I know a lot of people were probably looking [For Me] to go in at the [NFL] Combine, but I told myself, “Hey, Pro Day is probably the right time.” It never really crossed my mind whether I was going to perform or not. I knew I was going to do something, whether it was position drills, bench or whatever. I wanted to perform for everybody.”

His performance at Pitt Pro Day showed the skills and athleticism Goncalves possesses as he prepares to compete at the next level. He finished with 19 reps on the bench press (225 pounds), a 30 1/2 inch vertical jump and unofficial times of 5.06/5.11 seconds on the 40-yard dash.

These are all good marks for an offensive lineman, particularly one receiving as many plaudits as Goncalves, but even coming back from injury relatively quickly, he wanted better results.

“I felt like it could’ve been better for sure,” Matt Goncalves said. “I’m always achieving to go better. That’s the kind of guy I am. Whenever I have a great game, I want to do better. Whenever I have a bad game, I want to do better. I felt like I’m not 100%. Maybe I started off a little slow with the run blocking or whatever, coming out of my hips. I think I was focused more on just speed training than offensive line training when I was down in Pensacola. I only had three weeks to wrap it all together, so I had to kind of figure out which ones I really wanted to excel in and I think I did great in all of them.”

His day culminated with position work and drills, working with Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Southland. Goncalves competed with his teammate in fellow offensive lineman Jake Kradel, who is also going out to try and play in the NFL.

Kradel, who played for nearby Butler High School, spent six seasons with the Panthers, playing in 52 games and starting 45 of them.

While Goncalves is trending high on NFL Draft boards, Kradel hasn’t seen the same kind of recognition. Goncalves hopes that this Pro Day helped NFL teams see Kradel’s talents, as his relationship with his fellow offensive lineman is a crucial part as to why he himself is in the position he is right now.

“It’s extremely important,” Matt Goncalves said on his relationship with Kradel. “I know that I’ve had a tremendous amount of recognition, but for my recognition to come back and benefit him in this process as well with all these offensive line coaches coming to see how good of a player Jake Kradel really is. He’s under the radar, but he should be above the radar. He’s a great player, he’s a great person. Whatever team gets him is going to get a player that gives it their all at all times. I think it’s important to keep those relationships bounded together. We’ve been doing that over the past couple days, kind of telling each other, “Let’s Go!” “Let’s do this and that.” Like I said, he’s under the radar, but I hope, me bringing in these guys, he’ll be above the radar now because he’s a fantastic player. He’s got a lot of strain in him and he’s got a lot of football IQ and he’s just a great person”

Choosing not to work at the NFL Combine is a decision Goncalves knew he had to make for his health. Doing so allowed him to see what the other offensive linemen, that he is competing for a high draft spot with, did in terms of position work and different combine related drills.

He spoke with NFL teams about his health and that he came into Pitt Pro Day not wanting to break any records, but just to show he still has the talent and ability, even not 100% fully recovered yet.

“Seeing all the numbers from the Combine and what the expectation is from the tackles and the guards and how good of an offensive line class it is, I think there was kind of an expectation for me to do well here and I think I did,” Goncalves said. “I think having a good vertical, having a good 40, having good position drills, it kind of weighed in after the Combine. I told myself, “I have to push myself here.” It wasn’t easy, getting up every day and having to train ‘till this upcoming week. It was tough, but I got it done and I’m still going to be rehabbing stuff and still feel good.”

Goncalves played mostly at tackle, with 11 starts at left tackle and 13 starts at right tackle. He also played some at guard and even a little at center.

Most offensive linemen play at one position or usually just on one side. Goncalves has no preference for where he plays at the next level and believes that him playing all across the offensive line in college is beneficial not just for playing in the NFL, but for scouts to see and compare him to others in his class.

“My versatility definitely has given me an advantage over some people who have just predominantly [played] one side,” Matt Goncalves said. “Having the ability to bounce from the right to the left, it’s a new position and it’s something I picked up quickly and, like I always say, my old offensive line coach, Dave Borbely, he wanted to flip us into different positions, and as much as we hated it, it benefited us because not a lot of people, they don’t like to play different sides and it’s something he made us do and we kind of grew into it and ended up liking a lot.”

The end of Pro Day for Goncalves puts an end to his Pitt career. Five seasons, an ACC Championship and many memories made along the way make it a bittersweet ending for Goncalves, as he looks to the future.

For someone who came to the program that was his sole Power 5 offer, and from Long Island, N.Y., an area with a lack of football tradition, Goncalves will always love Pitt and will cherish his time here for the rest of his life.

“It means everything,” Matt Goncalves said. “I mean, the University of Pittsburgh gave me the opportunity to make a career out of this. Gave me an opportunity to come in here and play football. Coming from Long Island, the football isn’t so great out there, it means everything being able to represent this University at the next level. If I ever had a chance to come back in here and practice in here again, but I owe everything to the city. It will always hold a dear place in my heart.”