Matt Lee (American football)
| No. 62 – Cincinnati Bengals | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Center |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | June 6, 2001 Oviedo, Florida, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 310 lb (141 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Hagerty (Oviedo, Florida) |
| College: | UCF (2019–2022) Miami (2023) |
| NFL draft: | 2024 / round: 7 / pick: 237 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Matthew Lee (born June 6, 2001) is an American professional football center for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights and Miami Hurricanes.
Early life
[edit]Lee was born in Oviedo, Florida, on June 6, 2001. He attended Paul J. Hagerty High School. Coming out of high school, Lee initially decided to commit to play college football for the South Florida Bulls.[1] However, Lee decided to flip his commitment to play for the UCF Knights.[2][3]
College career
[edit]In Lee's first season at UCF in 2019, he played in four games and would redshirt on the year.[4] During the 2020 season, Lee would play in ten games, starting in all ten, where for his performance he was named first-team all-conference.[5] In 2021, Lee played in 12 games, starting all 12, where for his performance he earned third team all conference honors.[6] During the 2022 season, Lee would appear in 13 games, making 13 starts.[7] For his performance on the season, Lee earned second team all conference honors.[8] After the conclusion of the 2022 season, Lee decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Matt Lee was a four-star transfer and according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings, he was the second-best interior lineman and highest ranked center.[9][10]
Lee transferred to play for the Miami Hurricanes.[11][12] On the 2023 season, Lee graded out as a top 15 center and finished with a 76.5 overall grade by PFF.[13] After the conclusion of the 2023 season, Lee declared for the 2024 NFL draft.[14]
Professional career
[edit]| 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 3+5⁄8 in (1.92 m) |
301 lb (137 kg) |
32+1⁄8 in (0.82 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
5.03 s | 1.76 s | 2.93 s | 4.69 s | 7.97 s | 31.0 in (0.79 m) |
9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) |
25 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[15][16] | ||||||||||||
Lee was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round with the 237th overall selection of the 2024 NFL draft.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "UCF offers OL Matt Lee, but he remains committed to USF, for now". Sun Sentinel. June 18, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "Hagerty OL Matt Lee flips to UCF over rival USF". Orlando Sentinel. June 25, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Brian (July 28, 2023). "Miami Hurricanes Football Roster: Center Matt Lee Profile". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "Matthew Lee". UCF Knights University Athletics. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Hays, Chris (January 9, 2021). "UCF center Matthew Lee delivers deceptively strong debut season". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Benjamin, Marcus (January 8, 2023). "Miami Lands Offensive Lineman Transfer Matt Lee from UCF". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "MATT LEE C MIAMI (FL)". nfldraftbuzz.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Davis, Spenser (January 8, 2023). "Miami addresses OL concerns with major pickup in transfer portal". Saturday Road. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ "UCF's Matt Lee Enters Transfer Portal". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Morrison, Dan (January 4, 2023). "UCF offensive lineman Matt Lee has entered the transfer portal". On3.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Lichtenstein, Adam (January 8, 2023). "Hurricanes secure transfer commitment from center Matt Lee". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Samra, Steve (January 8, 2023). "Miami lands former UCF center Matt Lee via NCAA Transfer Portal". On3.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Donno, Alex (December 5, 2023). "The Miami Hurricanes Could Lose C Matt Lee And LB Kiko Mauigoa To The NFL". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Willerup, Liam (December 9, 2023). "Miami's Matt Lee Declares For NFL Draft, Mel Kiper Jr.'s 5th Ranked Center". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "Matt Lee Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Matt Lee College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
- ^ Marcum, Jason (April 27, 2024). "Matt Lee to Bengals in Round 7". Cincy Jungle. Retrieved May 25, 2024.