Matthew Hibner is a tight end and 2026 NFL Draft prospect who finished his collegiate career with the SMU Mustangs after spending four seasons with the Michigan Wolverines. A native of Burke, Virginia, Hibner attended Lake Braddock High School and emerged as a three-star recruit by the end of his senior year, ranking the 14th-best tight end prospect nationally according to 247Sports and earning an invitation to the U.S. National Team for the International Bowl before enrolling at Michigan. He appeared in 28 games across four seasons with the Wolverines as a reserve, catching two passes for 15 yards while contributing as a special teams player and winning a national championship in 2023, before transferring to SMU seeking an expanded role. He became an immediate impact player with the Mustangs in 2024, starting eight games and recording 24 catches for 368 yards and four touchdowns, including an 80-yard score against Pittsburgh that showcased his big-play ability. He returned for a final graduate season in 2025 and posted career highs with 31 catches for 436 yards and four touchdowns across 13 appearances while earning an invitation to the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl, where team sources praised his receiving ability and blocking potential.
Standing 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds and posting a 4.57-second 40-yard dash and a 37-inch vertical jump at the NFL Scouting Combine, Hibner is known for strong hands and the ability to track the football downfield and make contested catches, a physical style after the catch consistent with his blocking mentality, and an athletic profile that the National Championship experience at Michigan helped develop into a well-rounded tight end. NFL evaluators project him as a developmental receiving tight end at the next level, where his late-blooming trajectory, the physical tools to play both in-line and as a move tight end, and his Senior Bowl and combine testing project him as a Day 3 selection with the potential to contribute as a rotational pass-catching option and develop into a more complete tight end with professional coaching.
