Eagles' Tobin a walk-on wonder

JUSTIN SMITH, all 6-4 and 285 pounds of him, has wreaked havoc on NFL offensive lines since 2001. Back in 2006, 2 years before the San Francisco 49ers signed him to a 6-year, $45 million contract, came one of his better statistical seasons - a career-high 81 tackles and 7 1/2 sacks for the Cincinnati Bengals.

That same fall, at a small Catholic school in a rural community in Iowa, a high school junior stood about 6-foot, weighed 180 and played only on kickoffs. Matt Tobin wasn't much of a factor in games that year. Not until an astonishing growth spurt.

Bill Duffy, then the coach at Beckman Catholic High in Dyersville, sat in the school gym watching a basketball game with his defensive coordinator the following winter when he first recognized the transformation. Bewildered, both coaches had the same thought: "Is that Tobin?"

A 5-inch, 55-pound spurt (by Tobin's estimation) between the starts of his junior and senior seasons and improved play opened the door for him to walk on as an offensive lineman at a Division I program. Five years of hard work at the University of Iowa put him on the radar of NFL teams as an undrafted free agent.

And tomorrow in Santa Clara, Calif., 8 years after he was an afterthought on his high school team, Tobin is expected to make his first NFL start. Filling in at left guard for the injured Evan Mathis, Tobin - now listed at 6-6, 290, and coming off an impressive preseason - will be tasked with combating Smith, the 49ers' five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman.

The unlikeliness of it all is obviously not lost on Tobin, but he is not one to reflect on his path to starting in the NFL. At least not yet. He insisted he is treating this as any other game.

"Whenever I'm done playing football, I'll probably think about that," he said this week.

Signed by the Eagles as a rookie free agent after the 2013 draft, Tobin made last year's 53-man roster but was inactive the first 15 games of the season. He debuted in the regular-season finale against the Cowboys, playing four snaps on special teams.

This past training camp and preseason, with Allen Barbre starting at right tackle for the suspended Lane Johnson, Tobin was in line to serve as the top reserve on the offensive line, whether at guard or tackle, left or right, for the first four games. But an ankle injury sustained early in the preseason finale against the Jets sidelined him the first 3 weeks of the season.

Eagles coach Chip Kelly said earlier this week the only question the staff had regarding Tobin was how his ankle would hold up after full days of practice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. After Thursday's practice, the last day the locker room was open to members of the media, Tobin said he was "ready to go." Officially, he is listed as probable to play.

"He's been a good football player ever since he walked in," offensive lineman Todd Herremans said. "He understands leverage and balance. He uses his hands very well. He also had an excellent preseason before he got hurt. He's a smart football player. I think all those things put together make us confident and excited for him to get out there."

Aside from the preseason, during which he and the rest of the second-team offensive line impressed, tomorrow will mark Tobin's first real game action since his redshirt senior season at Iowa. Though as a senior in high school his newly acquired bulk helped him become a second-team, all-state lineman, he was still raw when he arrived in Iowa City.

After a redshirt year, a fall devoid of playing time and a season in which he played only sparingly, Tobin earned a scholarship and started the final 22 games of his collegiate career. He played tackle and guard for a program that churns out starting NFL linemen.

Tobin cut his teeth as a nonscholarship player practicing on the scout team against All-American Adrian Clayborn - as legend has it, Tobin once responded to a cheap shot by throwing a punch at the future first-round pick - and when starting lined up against the likes of Michigan State's Jerel Worthy and Penn State's Devon Still.

"[Tobin] was a guy that you knew if you put on the field you were going to get every bit of effort," said Iowa assistant Reese Morgan, who recruited Tobin and coached the offensive line for 3 of Tobin's 5 years with the Hawkeyes. "You knew from a standpoint of knowing assignments and being able to fight and compete. That guy, you just trusted him."

The Eagles seem to feel the same, and with Mathis' MCL sprain keeping him out until at least Week 10, Tobin could remain a starter for a while. With Tobin, center David Molk and right guard Dennis Kelly set to start tomorrow, the patchwork offensive line is among the team's biggest question marks entering the game.

Tobin is confident in the unit, saying, "I think we're just pretty much piggybacking off the preseason because us three were all together right in the inside the whole preseason and we played well." The 24-year-old's matchup with the 49ers' 34-year-old Smith - whose three sacks match the Eagles' team output through 3 weeks - will be among the keys to watch.

Smith, Tobin said, "bullrushes about every play," so the guard will try jump sets and make sure he gets his hands inside to combat No. 94 in red. Herremans, who has faced Smith several times, said he doesn't think Tobin needs to stray from how he normally plays.

"Tobin's a pretty smash-mouth football player just like Justin is," Herremans said. "It's going to be a great battle for the two of them. Justin's very smart with his moves and how he plays the game, but he also plays at a high intensity level with a high motor. He's going to be tired after the game."

The individual battle on the interior of the line is compelling enough on its own. But for those who knew Tobin as a junior on his high school football team, it's a scenario that was never envisioned.