Personal information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born: | Holland, Pennsylvania, U.S. | August 15, 1990||||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||
Weight: | 311 lb (141 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Council Rock (PA) South | ||||
College: | Syracuse (2009–2012) | ||||
Position: | Guard | ||||
NFL draft: | 2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19 | ||||
Career history | |||||
| |||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||
| |||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||
| |||||
Player stats at PFR |
Justin David Pugh (born August 15, 1990) is an American football guard who is a free agent. He played college football at Syracuse. He was selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Pugh attended Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pennsylvania. He was named to the 2008 Pennsylvania Football News All-State Second-team for defense. He earned all-area and All-Suburban One League First-team honors as a junior and senior and named second-team all-area as a defensive lineman as a senior. He was named 2008 team MVP and defensive player of the year as a team captain. As a sophomore, he earned second-team all-area honors as an offensive tackle.
Pugh attended Syracuse University, where he played for the Syracuse Orange football team from 2009 to 2012. He started 34 games in his career, and earned All-Big East Conference honors in three consecutive seasons; second-team as a sophomore, and first-team as a junior and senior. Pugh entered the 2013 NFL Draft with a year of college football eligibility remaining. [1] Since he had already graduated, Pugh was cleared by the National Football League to compete in the 2013 Senior Bowl. [2]
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 4+1⁄2 in (1.94 m) | 307 lb (139 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 5.14 s | 1.79 s | 2.98 s | 4.63 s | 7.45 s | 28+1⁄2 in (0.72 m) | 8 ft 7 in (2.62 m) | ||
All values from NFL Combine [3] [4] |
The New York Giants selected Pugh in the first round (19th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft. [5] He was the fifth offensive tackle and seventh offensive linemen selected in 2013. [6] Pugh also became the highest player selected from Syracuse since Dwight Freeney in (first round, 11th overall) 2002 and the highest offensive linemen selected from Syracuse since Bob Fleck in 1954. [7]
On July 25, 2013, the New York Giants signed Pugh to a four-year, $8.34 million contract that includes $7.96 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $4.44 million. [8]
Throughout training camp, Pugh competed with incumbent starter David Diehl for the starting right tackle position. [9] Head coach Tom Coughlin named Pugh the starting right tackle to begin his rookie season.
He made his first career start and professional regular season debut in the Giants' season-opening 36–31 loss at the Dallas Cowboys. Pugh started the first half of the season poorly, but made significant improvement in the second half of the season. Pugh received an overall grade of -4.9 for the first half of the season, +12.0 for the last eight games, and received an overall grade of -1.6 for the entire season. They also gave him a 93.4 in Pass Blocking Efficiency and +2.5 for run blocking. Out of 644 pass block snaps in 16 starts, Pugh allowed 43 hurries, gave up five sacks, and three hits. [10]
Pugh entered the 2014 season slated as the incumbent starting right tackle after the retirement of David Diehl. He started 14 games at right tackle and missed weeks 12-13 after suffering a quad injury that plagued him for a part of the season. This was his first season under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo after the departure of Kevin Gilbride. [11]
Pugh entered training camp as the starting left guard after the New York Giants signed free agent Marshall Newhouse and named him the starting right tackle. The Giants originally drafted Pugh with the intention to have him play offensive guard, but decided to keep him at right tackle. They also stated that Pugh was better suited for guard under Ben McAdoo's offense. [12] Pugh started 14 games throughout the season and missed two games (weeks 10/ and 12) due to a concussion. [13] He received high grades, played well throughout the season, and was ranked fifth among all offensive guards in performance grades (+12.5) through the first eight games. [14] By the end of the season he was ranked the ninth best offensive guard by Pro Football Focus with an overall grade of 86.7. [15]
On April 26, 2016, the New York Giants chose to pick up the fifth-year, $8.82 million option on Pugh's rookie contract. [16]
After a stellar season in 2015, Pugh was slated as the starting left guard entering training camp and was officially named the starter at the beginning of the season. Through the first nine games, he was ranked as the top offensive left guard in the league by Pro Football Focus with an overall grade of 87.8. [17] On November 9, 2016, he started at left guard during a 28–23 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, but left after suffering an injury to his leg. It was later discovered to be a sprained MCL and he missed the next five games (weeks 10-14).
In 2017, Pugh started the first eight games before going down with a back injury. He missed the next five games before being placed on injured reserve on December 14, 2017. [18]
On March 17, 2018, Pugh signed a five-year, $45 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals. [19] [20] He started seven games at right guard before suffering a knee injury in week 10. He was placed on injured reserve on November 13, 2018. [21]
In 2019, Pugh started all 16 games, 14 at left guard and two at right tackle.
In week 6 of the 2022 season, Pugh suffered a torn ACL and was placed on injured reserve on October 20, 2022, ending his season. [22]
On October 3, 2023, Pugh was signed to the Giants' practice squad. [23] He started his first game of the season against the Buffalo Bills on October 15. [24]
On October 18, the Giants signed him to their active roster. [25]
Pugh married Angela Viscount [26] in April 2022. [27]
In February 2015, Pugh appeared as a contestant on a celebrity edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, winning $10,000 for Shriners Hospitals for Children. [28]
Joseph David Berger is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan Tech.
Solomon Page is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia University.
Geoffrey Isaiah Schwartz is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft, and played for them from 2008 to 2011. He was also a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants and Detroit Lions. Schwartz played college football at the University of Oregon, for the Ducks. He started for three years at right tackle, and in his senior year was a second-team All-Pac-10 selection.
Danny Lee Jesus "D. J." Fluker is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama, where he was recognized as an All-American.
William Rodney Hudson is an American football center who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State, and was a two-time All-American. He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. He also played for the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals.
Marcus Christopher Gilbert is a former American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the University of Florida, and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft and played for the Steelers for eight seasons. Gilbert was also a member of the Arizona Cardinals for two seasons, although he never played a game for the team.
Steven Anthony Bergstrom is a former American football center. He played college football at Utah, and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins, and San Francisco 49ers.
Kelvin Lee Beachum Jr. is an American football offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at SMU and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets.
Justin Ross "J. R." Sweezy is a former American football guard. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round, 225th overall, of the 2012 NFL draft. He played college football at NC State.
Dierrias J. Humphries Jr. is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida. Humphries won the 2011 Anthony Muñoz Award, awarded to the best lineman in high school football. He was selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals, spending nine seasons with the team.
Jordan Michael Mills is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana Tech University.
Ereck Flowers is an American former professional football player who was a offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected ninth overall by the New York Giants in the 2015 NFL draft. He has also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Redskins / Football Team, and Miami Dolphins. Flowers played offensive tackle at the University of Miami and in the early part of his NFL career prior to switching to guard in 2019.
Jordan Phillips is an American professional football player who is a nose tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma.
Max Garcia is an American football guard who is a free agent. He was a team captain at Florida, where he was recognized as second-team All-SEC in 2014. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round, 133rd overall, in the 2015 NFL draft.
Ben Bredeson is a guard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He was an All-American at the University of Michigan, and drafted by the Ravens in the 2020 NFL draft. Bredeson attended Arrowhead High School, winning Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year and receiving All-American honors by MaxPreps and USA Today.
Sean Harlow is an American football center who is a free agent. He played college football at Oregon State. Pat Harlow is his father. Jack Harlow is not his brother.
William Price is an American football center who is a free agent. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. He has played in the NFL for the Bengals, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals.
William Hernandez is an American football guard for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UTEP.
Cody Ford is an American football offensive guard for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma. He has played in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Dennis Daley is an American football offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina and was selected in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers. Kelly played his first three seasons in the NFL with the Panthers before being traded to the Tennessee Titans in 2022. He then signed with the Cardinals in 2023.