Matt Waletzko
| No. 79 – Dallas Cowboys | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Born: | December 15, 1999 Cold Spring, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||
| Weight: | 320 lb (145 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Rocori (Cold Spring, Minnesota) | ||
| College: | North Dakota (2018–2021) | ||
| NFL draft: | 2022 / Round: 5 / Pick: 155 | ||
| Career history | |||
| |||
| Roster status: | Active | ||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
| |||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||
| |||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||
Matt Waletzko (born December 15, 1999) is an American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Dakota.
Early years
Waletzko grew up in Cold Spring, Minnesota and attended Rocori High School.[1] He was a two-way player as a senior.
College career
Waletzko was a member of the North Dakota Fighting Hawks for four seasons. The team pulled his redshirt designation, allowing him to play in nine games and start the final five contests of the season at left tackle as a true freshman.[2]
Waletzko started the first six games of his sophomore season before suffering a season-ending knee injury (torn left ACL).[3]
He started all seven of UND's games during his junior season, which was shortened and played in the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was named second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). He was part of an offensive line that led the Football Championship Subdivision and ranked third in the nation in sacks allowed (2) and led the nation with the fewest number of negative plays (24).
Waletzko started the first ten games of his senior season before missing his final game due to a left shoulder injury and was named first-team All-MVFC.[4] He was part of an offensive line that led the Football Championship Subdivision and ranked third in the nation in sacks allowed (3), while ranking second in the Missouri Valley Conference and fifth in the nation in fewest negative plays allowed (5).[5]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle |
Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 7+5⁄8 in (2.02 m) |
312 lb (142 kg) |
36+1⁄8 in (0.92 m) |
10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) |
5.03 s | 1.73 s | 2.87 s | 4.59 s | 7.26 s | 30.0 in (0.76 m) |
9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) |
28 reps | |
| Sources:[6][7] | ||||||||||||
Waletzko was selected by the
On August 30, 2023, Waletzko was placed on injured reserve.[10] He was activated on December 27, 2023.[11]
References
- ^ Dwyer, Zach (April 28, 2022). "Where do experts think ROCORI's Waletzko could land in the NFL Draft?". St. Cloud Times. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Miller, Tom (April 27, 2022). "Matt Waletzko's transformation as a UND rookie started the path to this weekend's NFL Draft". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ "How Matt Waletzko is approaching an NFL future with the Senior Bowl". St. Cloud Times. February 1, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Thorn, Brandon (January 29, 2022). "Matt Waletzko NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for North Dakota OT". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ "Matt Waletzko named HERO Sports FCS All-American". fightinghawks.com. December 14, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ "Matt Waletzko Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Draft Scout Matt Waletzko, North Dakota NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ "Cowboys use pick acquired in Amari Cooper trade to select North Dakota OT Matt Waletzko". The Dallas Morning News. April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Williams, Charean (October 22, 2022). "Cowboys place Matt Waletzko on injured reserve, sign Carlos Watkins". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ Walker, Patrik (August 30, 2023). "Cowboys move two to IR, reveal 2023 practice squad". DallasCowboys.com.
- ^ "Cowboys activate Matt Waletzko, waive Rashaan Evans". NBC Sports. December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.