Jonathan Wells Kruger[1] (born June 4, 1992) is a former American football defensive end. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. He played college football at Utah. He is the younger brother of outside linebacker Paul Kruger and defensive end Dave Kruger.

Joe Kruger
No. 73
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1992-06-04) June 4, 1992 (age 32)
Orem, Utah, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:269 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school:Pleasant Grove (UT)
College:Utah
NFL draft:2013 / round: 7 / pick: 212
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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He attended Pleasant Grove High School in Pleasant Grove, Utah. He was a first-team and all-conference in his senior season. He was ranked among the top 25 defensive end prospects by Rivals.com.[1]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40 Commit date
Joe Kruger
Defensive end
Orem, Utah Pleasant Grove High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 4.83 Nov 18, 2008 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 95 (DE)   Rivals: 23 (DE), NR (National), 3 (Utah)
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2010 Utah Utes Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  • "2010 Utah Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  • "2010 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 1, 2013.

College career

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He played college football at Utah. He finished college with a total of 69 tackles, 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and one interception.[2] On January 3, 2013, Kruger announced he would skip his senior season to enter the 2013 NFL draft.[3]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 7 in
(2.01 m)
269 lb
(122 kg)
34+38 in
(0.87 m)
10 in
(0.25 m)
4.83 s 34.0 in
(0.86 m)
9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)
24 reps
All values from the NFL Combine[4]

Philadelphia Eagles

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Kruger was selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft (212 overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles.[5] He was placed on injured reserve on August 30, 2013 and missed the 2013 season. He was released on August 23, 2014.[6]

San Diego Chargers

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Kruger was signed by the San Diego Chargers on August 25, 2014. He was released on August 29, 2014.

Green Bay Packers

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Kruger was signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad on October 7, 2014.[7] He was released on November 3, 2014.

Pittsburgh Steelers

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Kruger was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad on November 24, 2014. He was waived as a part of final roster cuts on September 3, 2015.

Personal

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He has two older brothers: Paul and Dave Kruger.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Utah Profile". utahutes.cstv.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  2. ^ "Joe Kruger college statistics". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013.
  3. ^ "Utah DL Joe Kruger skipping senior season, will enter NFL draft". cbssports.com. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  4. ^ Joe Kruger NFL Combine profile
  5. ^ "2013 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Wodraska, Lya (April 27, 2013). "NFL Draft: Utah's Joe Kruger picked by Eagles". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  7. ^ Packers sign DE Kruger to practice squad www.packers.com, Retrieved October 7, 2014
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