Falcons Pick South Carolina DE Matthews In 7th Round

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA – The Atlanta Falcons selected South Carolina defensive end Cliff Matthews in the seventh round of the NFL draft on Saturday.

Matthews will compete with Jamaal Anderson and Lawrence Sidbury for snaps behind starting ends John Abraham and Kroy Biermann.

The Gamecocks moved Matthews from outside linebacker to end before the start of his sophomore season in 2008. After a seven-sack season as a junior, Matthews overcame shoulder surgery to finish his senior year with 5½ sacks.