Kevin Zeitler (/ˈzaɪtlər/ ZYTE-lər; born March 8, 1990) is an American professional football guard for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, and earned consensus All-American honors. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft and he has also played for the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and Baltimore Ravens.
 Zeitler with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016 | |||||||
| No. 71 – Detroit Lions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | March 8, 1990 Waukesha, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 332 lb (151 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) | ||||||
| College: | Wisconsin (2008–2011) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2012 / round: 1 / pick: 27 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2024 | |||||||
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Early life
editZeitler was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin.[1] He attended Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and played for Wisconsin Lutheran Vikings high school football team. A three-year letterwinner in football, Zeitler was honored first-team all-conference, first-team all region and second-team all-area as a junior. In his senior year, he gathered first-team all-conference, conference lineman of the year, first-team all region, and first-team all-area honors.
Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Zeitler was ranked the No. 39 offensive guard prospect in his class.[2] Coincidentally, the No. 1 offensive guard in this class was Trevor Robinson, who would later play alongside Zeitler for the Cincinnati Bengals. Having numerous offers, Zeitler narrowed his decision down to Wisconsin and Michigan,[3] before eventually picking the Badgers.[4]
College career
editZeitler attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and played for the Wisconsin Badgers football team from 2008 to 2011. He was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, having been named to the first-teams of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the Associated Press and Pro Football Weekly as a senior in 2011.[5] Zeitler joined teammates Montee Ball and Peter Konz as AFCA All-Americans.
Professional career
editPre-draft
editEven though "not a nifty or nimble lineman", Zeitler was described as "a solid prospect with the ability to be used in a power running offense".[6] Projected to be a second round selection, Zeitler was ranked No. 4 among guards available in the 2012 NFL draft by Sports Illustrated.[7]
| 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 3+7⁄8 in (1.93 m) |
314 lb (142 kg) |
32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) |
10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) |
5.39 s | 1.81 s | 3.09 s | 4.61 s | 7.77 s | 29 in (0.74 m) |
8 ft 5 in (2.57 m) |
32 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[8][9] | ||||||||||||
Cincinnati Bengals
editZeitler expected to be a second-rounder, having scheduled a draft-party for Day 2 of the Draft, before being surprised by the Cincinnati Bengals' late first-round selection.[10][11] Zeitler was the eighth UW offensive lineman taken in the first round of an NFL draft since 1976, after Dennis Lick, Ray Snell, Paul Gruber, Aaron Gibson, Chris McIntosh, Joe Thomas, and Gabe Carimi.
In his rookie season, Zeitler started all 16 games at right guard for the Bengals.[12] He gave up only four sacks all season, and graded highest among Bengals linemen.[13] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[14]
In his five seasons with the Bengals, Zeitler started 71 of 72 games played at right guard.
Cleveland Browns
edit
On March 9, 2017, Zeitler signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the Cleveland Browns, making him the highest paid guard in the NFL.[15]
New York Giants
editOn March 13, 2019, the Browns traded Zeitler and Jabrill Peppers to the New York Giants, along with their first and third-round (originally acquired from the New England Patriots) picks in the 2019 NFL draft, in exchange for Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon.[16]
On March 10, 2021, the Giants released Zeitler.[17]
Baltimore Ravens
editZeitler signed a three-year $22.5 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens on March 18, 2021.[18] In the 2021 season, he started in all 17 games.[19]
In the 2022 season, Zeitler appeared in and started 15 games.[20]
In the 2023 season, Zeitler appeared in and started 15 games.[21] He had a fumble recovery in Week 1 against the Texans.[22] On January 30, 2024, Zeitler was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career as an alternate, replacing Joe Thuney of the Kansas City Chiefs.[23]
Detroit Lions
editOn March 19, 2024, Zeitler signed with the Detroit Lions.[24]
NFL career statistics
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | CIN | 16 | 16 |
| 2013 | CIN | 13 | 12 |
| 2014 | CIN | 12 | 12 |
| 2015 | CIN | 16 | 16 |
| 2016 | CIN | 16 | 16 |
| 2017 | CLE | 16 | 16 |
| 2018 | CLE | 16 | 16 |
| 2019 | NYG | 15 | 15 |
| 2020 | NYG | 16 | 16 |
| 2021 | BAL | 17 | 17 |
| 2022 | BAL | 15 | 15 |
| 2023 | BAL | 15 | 15 |
| Career | 182 | 181 | |
References
edit- ^ Rife, Adam (November 24, 2021). "Waukesha native and NFL player Kevin Zeitler makes contribution to support his hometown". CBS58. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ "Yahoo Sports: Rivals.com Ranking - Rivals.com offensive guards 2008". Yahoo! Sports. January 17, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ Spath, Michael (June 22, 2007). "With new offer, Zeitler tweaks favorites". footballrecruiting.rivals.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ Day, Paul (June 27, 2007). "Zeitler decides". footballrecruiting.rivals.com. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ "AFCA Announces 2011 FBS Coaches' All-America Team". American Football Coaches Association. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ "Kevin Zeitler — 2012 NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ "2012 NFL Draft — Positions — G". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
- ^ "Kevin Zeitler Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ "2012 NFL Draft Scout Kevin Zeitler College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ "2012 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ "First-round call catches UW's Zeitler off guard". Green Bay Press-Gazette. April 27, 2012. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013.
- ^ "Kevin Zeitler 2012 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ Garrison, Jason (March 1, 2013). "Bengals Had The Second Best Interior Offensive Line In AFC North". Cincy Jungle. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ "2012 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ Sessler, Marc (March 9, 2017). "Browns sign Kevin Zeitler to 5-year, $60M deal". NFL.com.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (March 13, 2019). "Jabrill Peppers, Kevin Zeitler, two draft picks acquired from Browns, pending physicals". Giants.com. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (March 10, 2021). "Giants release veteran guard Kevin Zeitler". Giants.com. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- ^ Stevens, Matthew (March 18, 2021). "Baltimore Ravens make Kevin Zeitler deal official". Ravens Wire. USA Today. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ "Kevin Zeitler 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ "Kevin Zeitler 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ "Kevin Zeitler 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ "Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens - September 10th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ Mink, Ryan (January 30, 2024). "Kevin Zeitler Is Finally Headed to His First Pro Bowl". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ "Lions sign unrestricted free agent G Kevin Zeitler". DetroitLions. March 19, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.