Joel Michael Bitonio (born October 11, 1991) is an American professional football guard for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nevada Wolf Pack and was selected by the Browns in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. During his NFL career, Bitonio has been named to six Pro Bowls, two first-team and three second-team All-Pro teams.
_(cropped).jpg) Bitonio with the Cleveland Browns in 2021 | |||||||
| No. 75 – Cleveland Browns | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | October 11, 1991 San Pedro, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 320 lb (145 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Woodrow Wilson Classical (Long Beach, California) | ||||||
| College: | Nevada (2009–2013) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2014 / round: 2 / pick: 35 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||
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Early life
editBitonio attended Long Beach Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, where he was a three-sport star. He was named to the Press Telegram's Dream Team for football and basketball as a senior. In football, he was a two-time All-league selection and was the Moore League Lineman of the Year. He was a first-team All-conference selection and was named second-team All-state by MaxPreps.com. Bitonio also lettered in track & field as a senior. He led the league in the shot put, recording a top-throw of 15.39 meters at the 2009 CIF Southern Section Division 1 Prelims.[1]
College career
editBitonio attended the University of Nevada from 2009 to 2013. He started 39 consecutive games from his redshirt sophomore to senior seasons. As a senior, he was an All-Mountain West Conference selection.[2]
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+1⁄4 in (1.94 m) |
302 lb (137 kg) |
33+7⁄8 in (0.86 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.97 s | 1.78 s | 2.90 s | 4.44 s | 7.37 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) |
9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
22 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[3][4] | ||||||||||||
Bitonio was considered one of the top offensive tackle prospects for the 2014 NFL draft.[5][6] He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round (35th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft.[7] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[8]
On December 7, 2015, Bitonio was placed on injured reserve.[9]
On October 14, 2016, Bitonio was again placed on injured reserve after sustaining a foot injury in Week 5.[10]
On March 9, 2017, Bitonio signed a five-year contract extension with the Browns through the 2022 season.[11][12] He was named to his first Pro Bowl and was named second-team All-Pro after starting all 16 games at left guard.
Bitonio was named to the 2020 All-Pro Team, along with three of his teammates: defensive end Myles Garrett, tackle Jack Conklin, and fellow guard Wyatt Teller.[13][14] Bitonio was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on January 5, 2021,[15] and activated on January 15.[16]
On November 10, 2021, Bitonio signed a three-year, $48 million contract extension through the 2025 season.[17]
Personal life
editHis father, Mike Bitonio, was a mixed martial arts fighter. He died at the age of 45 in 2010.[18]
References
edit- ^ "CIF Southern Section Divsion [sic] 1 Prelims- Prelim Results". ca.milesplit.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014.
- ^ Pack's OT Joel Bitonio, DE Brock Hekking, P Chase Tenpenny earn All-MWC honors
- ^ "Joel Bitonio Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ "2014 Draft Scout Joel Bitonio, Nevada NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ NFL Draft Scout
- ^ "Nevada OL Joel Bitonio a name to know ahead of Senior Bowl". NFL.com. December 12, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ 2014 NFL Draft: Cleveland Browns Pick OT Joel Bitonio at No. 35 Overall
- ^ "2014 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ "Browns claim Gabe Ikard; place Joel Bitonio on injured reserve". ClevelandBrowns.com. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ^ "Browns sign FB Dan Vitale; place OL Joel Bitonio on injured reserve". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 14, 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018.
- ^ Gribble, Andrew (March 9, 2017). "Browns sign OL Joel Bitonio to contract extension". ClevelandBrowns.com.
- ^ Orr, Conor (March 9, 2017). "Joel Bitonio receiving 6-year, $51.2M Browns extension". NFL.com.
- ^ "Myles Garrett, Jack Conklin named 1st-team All-Pros". www.clevelandbrowns.com. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ "2020 NFL All-Pro Team: Aaron Donald, Travis Kelce lead the way as unanimous selections". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ "Browns place 2 on COVID-19 list, 2 on injured reserve". www.clevelandbrowns.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ "Browns activate G Joel Bitonio". ClevelandBrowns.com. January 15, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ Patra, Kevin (November 10, 2021). "Browns sign guard Joel Bitonio to three-year, $48M extension through 2025". NFL.com.
- ^ Wolf Pack's Joel Bitonio uses father's inspiration to become a dominant player
External links
edit- Cleveland Browns bio
- Nevada Wolf Pack bio
- Media related to Joel Bitonio at Wikimedia Commons
