Gregory Lamar Little (born May 30, 1989) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

in the second round of the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

and

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Early life

Little attended Hillside High School in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

, where he played football, basketball and ran track. He graduated in the spring of 2007. Little primarily played tailback during his junior year as well as spending some time at wide receiver. His vertical jump was 40.0" and his broad jump was 10-1. North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and USC all offered scholarships for Little to attend their respective colleges. He visited North Carolina on October 13, 2006, Notre Dame on September 16, 2006, and Ohio State on September 23, 2006. He later verbally committed to the University of North Carolina. Little had a high school GPA of 2.7 and scored 930 on the SAT. He played in the 2007

U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl (currently branded as the Navy All-American Bowl for sponsorship reasons) is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is p ...

. In

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

, Little competed in sprints and jumps. He was timed at 11.1 seconds in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

, cleared 1.92 meters in the

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

and got a top-jump of 6.38 meters in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

College career

As a freshman in college during 2007, he had a total of 300 rushing yards and 99 receiving yards. Little also returned kickoffs for total of 145 yards. As a sophomore, he had a total of 339 rushing yards, 146 receiving yards, and 141 return yards. During his final collegiate season, as a junior, Little had 166 rushing yards, 724 receiving yards, and 222 kickoff return yards. As a senior in 2010, Little did not play, as he was ruled ineligible by the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

for lying to investigators about receiving travel accommodations and jewelry. On November 19, 2013, the University of North Carolina sent a disassociation letter to Little,

Marvin Austin Marvin Austin Jr. (born January 1, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels and was selected by the New Yor ...

, and Robert Quinn for the improper benefits taken during their time at the university. The three athletes are prohibited from contacting current North Carolina athletes and are not allowed inside the Kenan Football Center or other athletic facilities on campus. As a freshman in college, Greg Little also played basketball on the University of North Carolina basketball team that went to the Final 4 during the 2007-08 season. He played in 10 games and averaged 1.5ppg.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Little was selected by the

in the second round (59th overall) of the

. Little finished the 2011 season leading the Browns with 61 catches and 709 receiving yards. He was second among rookies in catches, behind

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

' first round pick A. J. Green and fifth in yards behind A. J. Green,

Torrey Smith James Torrey Smith (born January 26, 1989) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was selected by ...

Julio Jones Quintorris Lopez "Julio" Jones Jr. ( ; born February 8, 1989) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Atlanta Falcons. He played college foo ...

, and

Doug Baldwin Douglas Dewayne Baldwin Jr. (born September 21, 1988) is an American former professional American football, football player who spent his entire eight-season career as a wide receiver with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (N ...

. He also finished with two touchdowns. In 2012, Little started all 16 games, recording 53 catches for 647 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. The following season in 2013, he recorded 41 catches for 465 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and 13 starts. On May 16, 2014, Little was released by the Browns after three seasons with the team.

Oakland Raiders

On May 19, 2014, Little was claimed off waivers from the Browns by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

. Little was released on August 30, 2014.

Cincinnati Bengals

On October 14, 2014, Little signed with the

. He was released by the Bengals on February 28, 2015. On July 30, 2015, Little re-signed with the Bengals. He was later released again by the Bengals on October 31, 2015.

Buffalo Bills

On January 12, 2016 Little signed a future contract with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. On August 30, 2016, Little was released by the Bills.

Arizona Cardinals

On June 14, 2018, Little signed with the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

after two years away from football. He was released by the Cardinals on September 1.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

*
Oakland Raiders bio

Cleveland Browns bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Greg 1989 births Living people Players of American football from Durham, North Carolina Basketball players from Durham, North Carolina American football wide receivers American football running backs North Carolina Tar Heels football players North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Cleveland Browns players Oakland Raiders players Cincinnati Bengals players Arizona Cardinals players American men's basketball players Hillside High School (Durham, North Carolina) alumni Buffalo Bills players