Matt Goncalves is the newest Indianapolis Colt, and it’s safe to say he’s pretty fired up about that.
The Colts selected Goncalves — a 6-foot-6, 327-pound offensive tackle from Manorville, N.Y. — with the 79th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, spending a third round pick on the former Pitt captain, and in his draft call, he wasn’t able to hide his excitement.
Pat Narduzzi watched Goncalves grow during his five seasons at Pitt, arriving as a little-known offensive line recruit and leaving as one of the better offensive tackles in recent memory.
“Matt played a lot of football on our offensive line the past four years and played at a high level,” Narduzzi said in a Pitt press release. “He’s a leader, highly intelligent and incredibly tough, which was on display at our Pro Day following his offseason injury rehab. The Colts are not only getting an excellent tackle but also someone who will be a leader in the locker room. That’s why he was a team captain for us.”
Goncalves is a big (6-foot-6, 327 pounds) offensive lineman, with experience at left and right tackle, who bided his time in Pittsburgh to emerge as a team captain and starting left tackle in the 2023 season.
His senior season was cut short due to a lingering toe injury, which required surgery, but he started — and excelled — in all three games he played. It was expected that Goncalves would break out last season following a strong campaign in 2022.
Goncalves earned third-team All-ACC honors in 2022, racking up 830 snaps last season, which only trailed fellow lineman Jake Kradel offensively and flashed the ability to play on either side of the line. He made 11 starts at left tackle and 13 starts at right tackle, finishing his career with 35 appearances.
Goncalves will be fully healthy by the time mini-camp rolls around, and he likely won’t be required to step directly into a starting spot, so he will be able to jump into a depth role right off the bat.
The final day of the 2024 NFL Draft begins Saturday at noon, with four more rounds to go, and there should be a handful of former Panthers who hear their names called.
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