The short answer is yes.
When Clay Matthews III lines up at left outside linebacker Sunday night for the Packers against the Patriots, not only could he have been drafted by New England, he likely should have been.
Matthews has gone from walk-on at the University of Southern California to Pro Bowler as an NFL rookie to being the consensus NFL Defensive Player of the Year at the midpoint of this season.
The Patriots, for all their domination in winning five straight games and 10 of 11, have their shortcomings. Their pass coverage is lacking at times and a lackluster pass rush has not helped.
If Matthews was on the other side of improving rookie Jermaine Cunningham, the Patriots would be better at getting to the quarterback.
Through 13 games, Patriots outside linebackers have 13 sacks. Matthews, after posting 8 1/2 in the first five games, has 12 1/2, second in the league.
So Matthews, who an AFC personnel executive said “is one of the top three or four pass rushers in the league,’’ could have made this strong Patriots team even better.
“I think if you line him up in any system, he’s going to be a good football player, whether it’s our team, the Packers, or any other team in the NFL,’’ Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio said yesterday.
But real answers don’t come quickly or easily in the National Football League. And don’t we all wish we had the benefit of hindsight.
Reality is dressed in gray and framed in circumstances. And where the Patriots were April 25, 2009, the first day of the draft, as a team, and their decision to trade the 26th pick to the Packers, shows just how complicated decisions are in the NFL.
It’s the Packers calling Matthews, like many other people, thought he was destined to be a Patriot. They had a need at outside linebacker. Matthews, at 6 feet 3 inches, 250 pounds and with 4.5 speed, had all the assets to be a good 3-4 linebacker. And coach Bill Belichick thought the world of Clay Matthews Jr. when he coached the longtime Browns great while in Cleveland.
So when the Patriots were on the clock and Matthews’s phone rang in southern California, he was thinking blue and red.
“In all honesty, I thought I was going to New England because they had the pick and I was getting a call at that pick,’’ Matthews said. “From what I had heard they were looking for maybe a younger outside linebacker. So, I thought, ‘All right, New England.’ ’’
Instead, the phone call from the 920 area code went like this:
“Who is this?’’ Matthews asked.
“This is so and so from Green Bay,’’ the other voice said.
“What are you calling me for? You don’t have a pick until the next round,’’ Matthews said.
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