Justin Tyrell Harrell (born February 14, 1984) is a former American football player. He was drafted by the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

16th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft and was part of their Super Bowl XLV championship against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Tennessee.

Early years

Harrell 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. He started three years in basketball and averaged 17 points per game. He also started all four years in football.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

At the 2007 NFL draft he was selected 16th overall by the

. He was the second defensive tackle taken in the draft after

Amobi Okoye Amobi Okoye (born June 10, 1987) is a Nigerian-born former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at Louisville and was drafted by the Houston Texans tenth overall in the 2007 NFL Draft, the youngest player in NFL histor ...

(

Texans A Texan is a person associated with Texas, US. Texan may also refer to: Aircraft * T-6 Texan, World War II era training plane * T-6 Texan II, airplane used by the United States Air Force for basic pilot training * Fly Synthesis Texan, an Ita ...

). 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. 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 The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

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 and was placed on Injured Reserve, ending his season. 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.

References

External links

Green Bay Packers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrell, Justin 1984 births Living people People from Martin, Tennessee Players of American football from Tennessee American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles Tennessee Volunteers football players Green Bay Packers players