Matt Kalil

Matt Kalil (born July 6, 1989) is an American football offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). Kalil played college football for the University of Southern California, and was selected fourth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Vikings. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl following the 2012 NFL season.

High school career
Kalil played his high school football at Servite High School in Anaheim, California. Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Kalil was listed as the No. 3 offensive tackle in the class of 2008.

College career
After redshirting his initial year at USC, Kalil served as backup to Tyron Smith at right tackle. He started against Boston College and performed well, and saw limited action in 11 other games (all but Arizona State) and played primarily on special teams. In his sophomore year, Kalil beat Smith to replace Charles Brown at left tackle, where he started all 13 games. He also played on the defensive line for special teams and blocked a point after touchdown against Notre Dame.

As a junior, Kalil retained his starting left tackle spot, helping the Trojans average 456.8 yards of total offense. The Trojans' offensive line only allowed an FBS-low eight sacks of quarterback Matt Barkley, none of which were allowed by Kalil. For his effort, Kalil was named to several All-American teams, while also becoming the 12th Trojan offensive lineman to win the Morris Trophy. Kalil was also semifinalist for the 2011 Lombardi Award.

2012 NFL Draft
Already after his sophomore year, Kalil was regarded as the best offensive tackle prospect for the 2012 NFL Draft. He declared for the draft on December 16. After a strong performance at the NFL Combine, Kalil was projected to be the No. 3 draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings eventually selected Kalil, but not until trading down to the No. 4 spot. They had not selected an offensive lineman in the first round since Bryant McKinnie in 2002.

Kalil was USC's fifth offensive lineman selected in the top-5 of an NFL Draft, after Ron Yary in 1968, Marvin Powell in 1977, Anthony Muñoz in 1980, and Tony Boselli in 1995. With Tyron Smith having been selected ninth overall in 2011, it also made USC the first school with consecutive top-10 selected offensive lineman since Texas' Leonard Davis (2001) and Mike Williams (2002).

Minnesota Vikings
Kalil was signed to a four-year contract by the Vikings on July 26, 2012. He was selected to attend the Pro Bowl after Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams was injured during a night club fight.

Personal
His father, Frank, was a center at Arkansas and Arizona, and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1982, before playing for the USFL's Arizona Wranglers in 1983 and Houston Gamblers in 1984. His brother Ryan was an All-American at Southern California, and plays with the Carolina Panthers.