Matt Kopa

Matt Kopa

No. 68     New England Patriots
Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: February 25, 1987 (1987-02-25) (age 24)
Place of birth: Sacramento, California
Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	Weight: 310 lb (141 kg)
Career information
College: Stanford
Undrafted in 2010
No regular season or postseason appearances
Career history
San Francisco 49ers (2010)* Miami Dolphins (2010) New England Patriots (2011-Present) *Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
N/A
Stats at NFL.com

Matthew Alexander "Matt" Kopa (born February 25, 1987) is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He played college football for Stanford where he changed positions from defensive to offensive lineman in 2007.^[1] Kopa was signed in 2010 by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent.^[2] On November 9, 2010, Kopa was signed by the Miami Dolphins off of the 49ers practice squad in order to serve as a backup to Vernon Carey.^[3] He is now a member of the New England Patriots practice squad.

Early years

Kopa earned many accolades as both an offensive and defensive lineman throughout high school at Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, California. Kopa also played on the Varsity basketball team for two seasons. Kopa burst on to the national spotlight following his outstanding performance at the Palo Alto Nike Camp.^[4] In 2004, Kopa was ranked as the #82 player in the nation, and the #7 defensive end in the country according to Rivals.com.^[5] He played in the CaliFlorida Bowl at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida on January 2, 2005, along with fellow California stars Mark Sanchez, DeSean Jackson, and Rey Maualuga, and shined with 4 tackles and 2 sacks. In the postseason he was ranked #17 in California according to Rivals.com.^[6]

College career

Kopa committed very early in the recruiting process to Stanford, and although numerous college programs continued to try and persuade him to change his mind he maintained his allegiance to Stanford. He began his collegiate career playing on the defensive line for Head Coach Walt Harris. After redshirting his Freshman year, he won the battle for the starting defensive end position in 2006, but suffered a hyperextended elbow during the final week of Training Camp that marginalized his performance until the last month of the season. In 2007, Jim Harbaugh became the new Head Coach at Stanford, and moved Kopa to the offensive line.^[7] As a Junior, Kopa played both as a reserve offensive tackle and tight end. Kopa played in 35 career games with the Cardinal and wore three different jersey #'s: 93, 61, and 87. He had seven starts including starting the final six games of the 2008 season, five at right tackle and one at left guard.^[8] Kopa was projected to have a breakout season in 2009 and be one of the top offensive tackles taken in the 2010 NFL Draft.^[9] Unfortunately, he injured his foot while playing in the 2009 season opener against Washington State and missed the rest of the season after undergoing surgery. Kopa petitioned the NCAA to play a 6th year, but was denied.^[10] Kopa graduated in 2010 from Stanford University with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Professional career

Kopa attended the NFL Scouting Combine in 2010, however; he was still rehabbing from foot surgery and did not participate in the on-field drills. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent following the 2010 NFL Draft on June 8, 2010.^[11] Kopa was released during final cuts, but was signed to the 49ers' practice squad on September 6, 2010, where he practiced for the first eight games of the season. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as a free agent off the 49ers' practice squad on November 9, 2010.^[12]

On September 3, 2011, Kopa was cut by the Miami Dolphins as part of the final roster cutdowns. On the 5th of September, Kopa was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad.^[13]

References

1. ^ Stanford University Football. "Player Bio: Matt Kopa". Stanford University Athletics. http://www.gostanford.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/kopa_matt00.html. Retrieved 10 November 2010. 
2. ^ Fucillo, David. "49ers sign rookie free agent OT Matt Kopa". http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/6/8/1508100/49ers-sign-rookie-free-agent-ot. Retrieved 10 November 2010. 
3. ^ "Dolphins Sign T Matt Kopa; Waive T Patrick Brown". Miami Dolphins Ltd., Inc.. http://prod.www.dolphins.clubs.nfl.com/news/article-1/Dolphins-Sign-T-Matt-Kopa-Waive-T-Patrick-Brown/bcab737b-bf25-11e0-b52e-00144fe56e6c. Retrieved 10 November 2010. 
4. ^ Kimbrell, Rick. "Palo Alto NIKE camp Showstoppers". http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=299474. 
5. ^ "The next 10: The Rivals100 from 81 to 90". http://usc.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=304069. Retrieved 25 May 2011. 
6. ^ "2005 Prospect Ranking". http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/rankings/rank-962/2011/map/print. Retrieved 25 May 2011. 
7. ^ Eubanks, Mike. "Kopa Tackles New Position". http://stanford.scout.com/2/669339.html. 
8. ^ Jones, Rick. "Stanford's Kopa on the move again". http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=941049. 
9. ^ Brandt, Gil. "Top offensive tackle prospects for 2010 hail from the Big 12". http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d811477a4&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true. 
10. ^ Hull, John. "Kopa Moves On Without Hearing From NCAA". http://www.egcitizen.com/articles/2010/06/21/sports/doc4c1aa115c614b075925905.txt. 
11. ^ Carroll, Chuck. "49ers Sign Offensive Tackle Matt Kopa from Stanford". http://www.footballnewsnow.com/2010/49ers-sign-offensive-tackle-matt-kopa-from-stanford/#.Tdy3hq6Bw9o. Retrieved 25 May 2011. 
12. ^ "Dolphins sign OT Matt Kopa off 49ers' practice squad". http://www.phins-spotlight.com/2010/11/dolphins-sign-ot-matt-kopa-off-49ers.html. Retrieved 25 May 2011. 
13. ^ "Patriots set their practice squad, bringing back a few familiar faces". http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/rap_sheet/?p=13840&srvc=sports&position=recent_bullet. Retrieved 5 September 2011.