Paul Kruger (American football)

Paul Kruger

File:Paul kruger 121111 small.jpg Kruger with the Ravens in 2011.
No. 99     Cleveland Browns
Outside Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1986-02-15) February 15, 1986
Place of birth: Rexburg, Idaho
High School: Orem (UT) Timpanogos
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	Weight: 270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
College: Utah
NFL Draft: 2009 / Round: 2 / Pick: 57
Debuted in 2009 for the Baltimore Ravens
Career history
Baltimore Ravens ( 2009– 2012) Cleveland Browns ( 2013–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl Champion (XLVII) AFC champion (2012) Second-team Freshman All-American (2007) First-team All-Mountain West (2008) Honorable mention All-American (2008)
Career NFL statistics as of 2012
Tackles	69
Sacks	15.5
Interceptions	2
Forced fumbles	1
Stats at NFL.com

Paul Eugene Kruger Jr. (born February 15, 1986) is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah.

Early years

Kruger was an All-conference and preseason All-America quarterback as a senior in 2003 at Timpanogos High School in Orem, Utah. He was the team captain and lettered all four years. Kruger was ranked in the top 30 quarterbacks nationally by Student Sports.

From 2005-2007 he served a 2 year mission for the LDS church in the Kansas City area (The Missouri Independence Mission).

College career

After an all-conference sophomore season in 2008, he decided to forego his final two years of college eligibility to enter the 2009 NFL Draft. He was a member of two undefeated teams: signed with the University of Utah Utes as a quarterback in 2004 and was a redshirt on the 12-0, Fiesta Bowl champion team. He started at right end for Utah's 2008 13-0, Sugar Bowl champion team.

Career statistics

Source:

YEAR	TEAM	GP	GS	UA	AT	TT	T/L	Sacks	FF	FR	PD	INT
2007	Utah	13	11	24	39	63	7.5	3	1	3	5	1
2008	Utah	13	13	30	31	61	16.5	7.5	2	0	7	1
Totals		26	24	55	69	124	24	10.5	3	3	12	2

Kruger redshirted his freshman year of 2004, after which he served a two-year mission in Kansas and Missouri for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, returning to the football field in the fall of 2007.

In 2007 he was a Sporting News and Scout.com second-team Freshman All-American. He was also honorable mention All-Mountain West. Kruger played in all 13 games and started the last 11 at right end. His 63 tackles were the most among the league's freshman linemen and the second-best freshman total at any position and ranked fourth on the team. He also had 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, five pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an interception. Kruger helped lead a Utes’ defense that ranked 11th in the nation against the run (99.2 ypg) and 11th-overall in total defense (289.2 ypg).

Due to an off-field injury (see Personal section), He was held out of spring practices but returned to the field in the fall.

As a sophomore in 2008, he was a first-team All-Mountain West defensive lineman. Sports Illustrated and College Football News named him honorable mention All-American. He played and started in all 13 games at right end. He led Utah and ranked second in the conference in tackles for loss (16.5) and was third in the league in sacks (7.5). He had seven pass breakups, which ranked second on the team, as well as two forced fumbles. His 61 total tackles ranked fifth on the team. He had four sacks (all solo) against Utah State that tied the school record and was the best single-game total in the country. His five TFL in that same game was the second-best mark in school history. He intercepted a pass against BYU and returned it 30 yards.

Professional career

2009 NFL Draft

Kruger was considered a top defensive end prospect for the 2009 NFL Draft.

Pre-draft measureables

Ht	Wt	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
6 ft 4¼ in	263 lb	4.79 s	1.58 s	2.78 s	4.47 s	7.52 s	32½ in	9 ft 1 in	24 reps	25

Baltimore Ravens

File:Paul Kruger MT Stadium 2012 Practice.jpg

Kruger at Ravens M&T Bank Stadium practice in August, 2012.

On April 25, 2009, Kruger was selected in the second round (57th overall pick) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

On November 29, 2009, in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kruger intercepted a Dennis Dixon pass in overtime and returned it 22 yards to set the Ravens up for a game-winning 29-yard field goal by kicker Billy Cundiff.

During the 2010 offseason Kruger was looking to bulk up in order to make the move from linebacker to defensive end in Baltimore's 3-4 defense mostly because of the lack of playing time he saw at OLB.

2010 was a frustrating year for Kruger playing in a new position as a 3-4 DE, he only recorded one tackle, and one sack in very limited playing time, playing in just 11 games and no starts. He deflected two passes.

After a 2010 season in which he struggled to get playing time at defensive end, he was moved back to outside linebacker in the Ravens hybrid 3-4 defensive scheme in 2011. He saw much more action in 2011 playing as a situational pass rusher, coming in and replacing Ravens veteran linebacker Jarret Johnson for 3rd down passing situations. He managed to rack up 5.5 regular season sacks in his new role, along with 15 tackles. In addition to this, he also recorded a sack against New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the AFC championship game. The Ravens would go on to lose this game 23-20.

During the 2012 season, Kruger would become a significant part of the Ravens defense. In Week 10, against the Oakland Raiders, Kruger deflected a pass and picked an interception in a 55-20 win. During Week 16 against the New York Giants, he sacked quarterback Eli Manning in a 33-14 victory. During the Wild card round in the 2012 playoffs, he forced Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck to fumble. The Ravens would win 24-9. In the Divisional Round against the Denver Broncos, he sacked quarterback Peyton Manning and recovered a fumble in which the Ravens would go on to win 38-35 in double overtime. In Super Bowl XLVII, he had two sacks on critical junctures of the game, forcing the 49ers to kick field goals.

Cleveland Browns

Kruger signed with the Cleveland Browns to a five-year $40M contract on March 12, 2013.

Career NFL Statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions			Other
Season	Team	Games	Solo	Ast	Total	Sack	Int	Yds	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety
2009	BAL	9	4	7	11	0	1	26	0	0	0	0	3	0
2010	BAL	11	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
2011	BAL	16	12	3	15	5.5	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	0
2012	BAL	15	30	12	42	9	1	0	0	0	1	1	6	0
Career		51	47	22	69	15.5	2	26	0	0	1	3	13	0
Playoffs	BAL	8	11	7	18	6.0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0

Personal

Kruger went through two serious childhood accidents. He almost died in his Uncle's jeep accident at age 13. In college at Salt Lake City, Utah, (January 29, 2008) a street stabbing left him with a 6.5 inch scar on his chest. A screwdriver was driven through the back of a Ute teammate and brass knuckles were used to break the nose and shatter the cheekbone of his younger brother. The fight left Kruger with "life-threatening injuries" that required nearly 50 staples to close the incisions made during a four-hour surgery.

References

Matt Vensel (April 05, 2012). "Ravens expect 'a heck of a year' from Paul Kruger". Baltimore Sun website. Retrieved April 05, 2012.

External links

• Utah Utes bio
• Ravens bio
• Twitter