Jonathan Mitchell Petrus (May 11, 1987 – July 18, 2019) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

Early years

Mitch Petrus was born on May 11, 1987 in Carlisle, Arkansas. He attended Carlisle High School, where he played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

. He was a class of 2005 Graduate.

College career

An unrated

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

prospect, Petrus walked on as a fullback at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

but was moved to offensive guard for the 2007 season.Higbee, Zach. "Petrus selected in NFL Draft." April 24, 2010
Profile.
Retrieved May 1, 2010. He blocked for rushing tandem

Darren McFadden Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Dra ...

and

Felix Jones Felix Jones Jr. (born May 8, 1987) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at the University of Arkansas and was drafted by t ...

, both of whom eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, and was named to the All- SEC second-team. He redshirted during the 2008 season. Following the 2009 season, he was named All-SEC first-team by SEC coaches and second-team by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

. He graduated with a degree in agricultural economics.

Professional career

New York Giants

At the 2010

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foo ...

, Petrus completed 45 reps of on the bench press, which tied defensive linemen

Leif Larsen Leif Andreas Larsen DSO, DSC, CGM, DSM and Bar (9 January 1906 – 12 October 1990), popularly known as "Shetlands Larsen", was a highly decorated Norwegian sailor. He was arguably the most famous of the men who operated the Shetland bus es ...

and Mike Kudla for the second most since 2000. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was the seventh guard to be selected that year. He played in 17 regular-season games with three starts. In the 2011 season, the Giants finished with a 9–7 record and made the playoffs. He appeared in all four 2011 postseason games, including the Super Bowl XLVI victory over the New England Patriots. Petrus was waived on September 2, 2012 after the Giants were awarded offensive tackle D. J. Jones on waivers from the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

. Jones failed his physical with the Giants and Petrus was re-signed the next day. On November 3, Petrus was released by the Giants after tight end

Travis Beckum Travis Tyrell Beckum (born January 24, 1987) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin. Early years Travis Beckum played fo ...

was activated.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots signed Petrus on November 13, 2012 to help with a depleted offensive line that included injuries to

Logan Mankins Logan Lee Mankins (born March 10, 1982) is a former American football guard who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. After playing college football at Fresno State, he was drafte ...

and Dan Connolly. He was released by the Patriots on December 3, 2012.

Tennessee Titans

On December 6, 2012, Petrus was claimed off waivers by the

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Gai ...

. He played in two games with the Titans in the 2012 season. He was waived by the Titans on March 12, 2013. After his stint with the Titans, Petrus did not sign with another NFL team.

Personal life

Petrus played

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

in a band called Vikings of the North Atlantic. He resided and worked in Carlisle, Arkansas, where he died of

heat stroke Heat stroke or heatstroke, also known as sun stroke, is a severe heat illness that results in a body temperature greater than , along with red skin, headache, dizziness, and confusion. Sweating is generally present in exertional heatstroke, ...

on July 18, 2019.

References

External links

*
New York Giants bioArkansas Razorbacks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrus, Mitch 1987 births 2019 deaths People from Lonoke County, Arkansas Players of American football from Arkansas American football offensive guards Arkansas Razorbacks football players New York Giants players New England Patriots players Tennessee Titans players Deaths from hyperthermia