Joe Kruger

American football player (born 1992)

American football player

Joe Kruger

No. 73

Position:

Defensive end

Personal information

Born:

(1992-06-04) June 4, 1992 (age 31)
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

Philadelphia Eagles (2013–2014)*
San Diego Chargers (2014)*
Green Bay Packers (2014)*
Pittsburgh Steelers (2014–2015)*

* Offseason and/or practice squad member only

Career NFL statistics

Player stats at NFL.com

Jonathan Wells Kruger^[1] (born June 4, 1992) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted 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.

Early years

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
Joe Kruger Defensive end	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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

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

2013 NFL Combine

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+3⁄8 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

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

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

Green Bay Packers

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

Pittsburgh Steelers

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

He has two older brothers: New Orleans Saints' defensive end Paul Kruger and free agent defensive end Dave Kruger.

References

^ ^a ^b "Utah Profile". utahutes.cstv.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2013-02-01.
^ "Joe Kruger college statistics". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-30.
^ "Utah DL Joe Kruger skipping senior season, will enter NFL draft". cbssports.com. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
^ Joe Kruger NFL Combine profile
^ "2013 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
^ Wodraska, Lya (April 27, 2013). "NFL Draft: Utah's Joe Kruger picked by Eagles". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
^ Packers sign DE Kruger to practice squad www.packers.com, Retrieved October 7, 2014