Kyle Juszczyk

Early life

Juszczyk was born in Medina, Ohio. He attended Cloverleaf High School in Lodi, Ohio, and played high school football for the Cloverleaf Colts as a tight end. Juszczyk also participated in track and field, where he was a Suburban League champion in the shot put.

College career

Juszczyk attended Harvard University, where he played tight end for the Crimson under coach Tim Murphy. Juszczyk played for the Crimson from 2009 to 2012. Following his senior season in 2012, Juszczyk was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection.

Juszczyk finished his collegiate career with 125 receptions for 1,576 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Coming out of Harvard, many analysts and scouts projected Juszczyk to be a third or fourth round pick. NFLDraftscout.com ranked him the best fullback out of the 94 available. Although he was not invited to the NFL Combine, Juszczyk performed all the required drills and positional workouts at Harvard's Pro Day.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens chose Juszczyk in the fourth round (130th overall) of the 2013 NFL draft. He was the first fullback selected of the three chosen in the 2013 NFL draft. Juszczyk became the first fullback drafted from Harvard and only the tenth player in school history to be drafted. He was the second highest selection in school history, only behind Isaiah Kacyvenski, who was selected in the fourth round (119th overall) in the 2000 NFL draft.

On May 2, 2013, the Ravens signed Juszczyk to a four-year, $2.46 million contract that included a signing bonus of $300,574.

Juszczyk entered training camp his rookie year competing with veteran Vonta Leach to be the Raven's starting fullback. Juszczyk was named Leach's backup to begin the regular season. He made his professional regular season debut in the Ravens' season-opening 49–27 loss to the Denver Broncos. Throughout his rookie season, Juszczyk appeared in all 16 regular season games but was used mainly on special teams and as a blocking fullback.

The following year, Juszczyk became the Ravens' starting fullback with the release of Vonta Leach in February. He also switched his jersey number from #40 to #44, which Juszczyk had worn at Harvard and Leach had worn the season before. He earned his first career start in the Ravens' season-opening loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

On September 21, 2014, Juszczyk caught three passes for a season-high 54 receiving yards and caught his first career touchdown reception during a narrow 23–21 loss to the Cleveland Browns. His first career reception was a nine-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco. During Week 10 against the Tennessee Titans, Juszczyk caught a season-high three passes for 26 yards in the 21–7 victory. Juszczyk finished the season with 19 receptions for 182 yards and a touchdown while starting 14 games and appearing in all 16 games. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate at fullback after the 2014 season.

Juszczyk returned as the starting fullback in 2015 after winning the job over Kiero Small in training camp. In the season-opener against the Broncos, Juszczyk had four receptions for 17 yards. On October 11, 2015, he caught three passes for 31 receiving yards and caught his first touchdown of the season, on an eight-yard pass from Joe Flacco, as the Ravens lost 33–30 to the Browns. During a Week 10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, he made a season-high five receptions for 47 yards. The next game, he caught three passes for 10 yards and had his first two career carries for three yards during Baltimore's 16–13 victory over the St. Louis Rams. On December 27, 2015, Juszczyk caught five passes for a season-high 55 yards as the Ravens defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 20–17.

San Francisco 49ers

Juszczyk entered free agency for the first time in his career in 2017 and was the top fullback on the market. He received interest and offers from multiple teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Browns, Bills, and the San Francisco 49ers. The Eagles were the top team to possibly land the prized free agent at first, but the Bills overtook them as the favorite, as they were looking for a stable replacement for Jerome Felton.

On March 9, 2017, the 49ers signed Juszczyk to a four-year, $21 million contract that included $7 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $5 million. It was the largest contract for a fullback in NFL history.

In his 49ers debut, Juszczyk had two receptions for 17 yards in the season-opening 23–3 loss to the Carolina Panthers. On December 19, 2017, he was named to his second Pro Bowl.

Juszczyk finished his first season with the 49ers tallying 33 receptions for 315 yards and a touchdown to go along with 31 rushing yards.

In the 2018 season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, Juszczyk recorded a 56-yard reception in the 24–16 loss. During Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he scored his first touchdown of the season on a 35-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo. Juszczyk was named to his third Pro Bowl for his accomplishments in the 2018 season.

Juszczyk finished the 2018 season with 30 receptions for 324 yards and a touchdown along with 30 rushing yards.

In the 2019 season, Juszczyk appeared in 12 games and recorded 20 receptions for 239 yards and a touchdown. He was named to his fourth Pro Bowl.

During Super Bowl LIV against the Chiefs, Juszczyk caught three passes for 39 yards and a touchdown in the 31–20 loss. His touchdown reception in the game was the first by a Harvard alumnus in Super Bowl history, and the first by a fullback since Mike Alstott in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Career statistics

Personal life

Juszczyk married Kristin Arceri in July 2019. During the 2023 season, Kristin gained national attention after designing a Travis Kelce-inspired jacket for Taylor Swift. She would later obtain a licensing deal with the NFL.