Peter Konz (born June 9, 1989) is an American former professional

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player who was a

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in the

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(NFL). He played

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for the

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the College athletics in the United States, athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I ...

and was selected by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

in the second round of the

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Early years

Konz attended Neenah High School in

Neenah, Wisconsin Neenah ( ) is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States. It is situated on the banks of Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, and the Fox River (Green Bay tributary), Fox River approximately northeast of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, O ...

. He played on both the offensive line and

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for the

team. Regarded as a four-star recruit by '' Rivals.com'', Konz was ranked as the No. 30 offensive line prospect in the nation.

College career

After being redshirted in 2008, Konz started nine of ten games in 2009.

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named him a freshman

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n. As a sophomore in 2010, he started 11 of 13 games and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten. On December 5, 2011, Konz was named All-American by AFCA. Konz is joined as an AFCA All-American by teammates

Montee Ball Montee Ball Jr. (born December 5, 1990) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Denver Broncos. He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, twice earning consen ...

and

Kevin Zeitler Kevin Zeitler ( ; born March 8, 1990) is an American professional football guard for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, and earned consensus All-American honors. He w ...

. Konz was also named to the

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All-American Team joined again by teammate Montee Ball. On December 8, 2011, Konz was named Second Team All-American by

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. Konz's teammate Kevin Zeitler joined him on the Second Team while Montee Ball was named to the First Team and quarterback

Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...

and linebacker Chris Borland were named to the Third Team.

Professional career

Konz took part in the

NFL 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 Foot ...

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in Indianapolis. He was regarded as the top center available in the

. ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' described Konz as a "tough, nasty center with an all-around game," who "comes with a lot of upside." Konz was selected by the

in the second round (55th pick overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. In the first six games of the season, he served as backup to Garrett Reynolds, before replacing him by week 7. Then later at the start of 2013 season, he moved to center replacing Todd McClure after his retirement. On September 1, 2015, he was released by the Falcons.

Post-football career

Konz initially attended Marquette University Law school. After one year at Marquette, Konz transferred to, and later graduated from, The University of Wisconsin Law School. He is now a lawyer.

References

External links

*
Atlanta Falcons bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konz, Peter 1989 births Living people American football centers American football offensive guards Wisconsin Badgers football players Atlanta Falcons players Sportspeople from Neenah, Wisconsin Players of American football from Wisconsin Sportspeople from Oshkosh, Wisconsin