PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It was supposed to be the year Matt Goncalves established himself. Picked as a preseason All-ACC offensive tackle, Goncalves started his first three games last season with impressive results. But an injury against the Mountaineers ended his last year and his opportunity to impress.
The five-year Panther was unable to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl. He was not invited to the NFL Combine. Goncalves had one opportunity to show what he can do in official workouts. The 6'6", 317-pound offensive tackle ran a 5.11 40-yard dash, a 30.5" vertical jump and benched 225 pounds 18 times at the team's indoor facility.
The 40 time would have tied for 21st with Olumuyima Fashanu from Penn State among offensive linemen at the NFL Combine. The vertical was 23rd among those who jumped in Indianapolis and the bench around 30th. He put up those numbers with his foot around 85% healthy, but he felt like he had to do something.
None of those numbers really tell of the impact Goncalves could have with a team. He's started 11 games at left tackle, 13 at right tackle. He's worked as an extra tackle. He's played guard and was even briefly preparing to play center because of injuries.
"Some teams have asked me what side I would like to play," Goncalves said. "Will you play inside or out? I will play wherever. I've told them I can play left. I can play right. I even played a week at center. I like to bounce all over the place."
The last few words seem sincere. Like a baseball player who can move across the infield, Goncalves enjoys any and every of the offensive line positions. He is 6'6", 317 pounds and believes he could add or even drop weight if needed.
"My versatility definitely has given me an advantage over some people who are predominantly one side," Goncalves said. "Having the ability to bounce from the right to the left, it's a new position. It's something that I picked up quickly."
Currently the Steelers have a couple versatile linemen on the active roster. Rookie Spencer Anderson can also play up and down the line but seems more likely to be on the inside with a lot of reps at center. Tackle Dylan Cook, a former college quarterback, impressed enough to make the roster after a season on the Tampa Bay practice squad, but only dressed for one game.
Mike Tomlin loves position flexibility and Goncalves is the living example of it. So, the Steelers hosted Goncalves for an official visit on the other side of the UPMC Rooney South Side facility this week.
"My old offense line coach, Dave Borbely, wanted to flip us into different positions," Goncalves said. "As much as we hated it, it benefitted us because a lot of people don't like to play different sides. It's something he made us do. We grew into it and ending up likely it a lot."
Coming out of high school in Long Island, New York, no other Power Five schools offered Goncalves other than Pitt. Pat Narduzzi took that chance and he grew into a potential NFL Draft selection. He's looking for another team, another coach, to take a chance on him.
