Justin Tyrell Harrell (born February 14, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers 16th overall in the 2007 NFL draft and was part of their Super Bowl XLV championship against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers.
 Harrell with the Green Bay Packers in 2007 | |||||
| No. 91 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | February 14, 1984 Martin, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 315 lb (143 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Martin (TN) Westview | ||||
| College: | Tennessee (2002–2006) | ||||
| NFL draft: | 2007 / round: 1 / pick: 16 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
Early life
editHarrell was named the 2A Mr. Football in Tennessee and was named All-American by PrepStar recruiting service. During his senior season at tight end he caught 18 passes for 354 yards and six touchdowns. Harrell attended Westview High School in Martin, Tennessee where his team was a state runner-up his senior year.[1][2][3] He started three years in basketball and averaged 17 points per game. He also started all four years in football.
College career
editHarrell attended and played college football at the University of Tennessee.[4]
Professional career
edit| 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 | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+3⁄8 in (1.94 m) |
300 lb (136 kg) |
34+1⁄2 in (0.88 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
5.08 s | 1.77 s | 2.97 s | 4.79 s | 7.63 s | 30.5 in (0.77 m) |
9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) |
31 reps | |
| Sources:[5][6] | ||||||||||||
At the 2007 NFL draft, Harrell was selected 16th overall in the first round by the Green Bay Packers. He was the second defensive tackle taken in the draft after Amobi Okoye (Texans).[7]
Harrell took part in only limited drills with the Packers in their organized team activities (OTA) practices as a result of the torn biceps tendon suffered while playing for Tennessee. Harrell was cleared to practice with the team at the preseason camp which began July 28. Harrell immediately drew criticism for showing up to OTA and Training Camp his rookie season out of shape and slightly overweight.
On July 27, 2007, Harrell signed a six-year contract with the Packers.[8] The deal reportedly had a maximum value of just under $15 million with approximately $8 million guaranteed. Harrell played in his first NFL game on October 7, 2007, against the Chicago Bears in Week 5.
Harrell spent 2008 training camp on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. On August 25, he was placed on the Reserve/PUP list, forcing him to miss the first six weeks of the regular season. He was activated on November 1 after defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila was released. On August 4, 2009, Harrell again injured his back during training camp practice and was inactive for the entire 2009 season.
In the season opener of the 2010 football season, Harrell suffered a torn ACL[9] and was placed on Injured Reserve, ending his season.[10] He earned a Super Bowl title when the Packers defeated the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.[11]
As of the conclusion of the 2010 season, Harrell had participated in just 14 regular season games over four seasons. He was released on July 28, 2011.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Justin Harrell, Tennessee Volunteers, Defensive Tackle". 247Sports. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Westview High School Chargers · Martin, TN (Weakley County)". TSSAA. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Tonio 10th grade vs Westview". The Jackson Sun. October 20, 2001. p. 22. Retrieved March 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Justin Harrell - Football". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Justin Harrell Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ "2007 NFL Draft Scout Justin Harrell College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ "2007 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ Pasquarelli, Len (July 28, 2007). "Packers reach agreement with 1st-rounder Harrell". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ Leahy, Sean (September 13, 2010). "Packers: Ryan Grant has 'significant' ankle injury; Justin Harrell to IR". USA Today. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Packers Sign Nance And Wynn, Place Grant And Harrell On I.R." Packers.com. September 14, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ "Super Bowl XLV - Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay Packers - February 6th, 2011". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (July 28, 2011). "Release tracker". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 15, 2024.