Category: Hogs in NFL

Despite injuries, former Razorback Ragnow squashes retirement talk

Former Arkansas lineman Frank Ragnow helped lead Detroit to its best season in nearly half a century.

When it comes to toughness, there is no better example on a football field than former Arkansas offensive lineman Frank Ragnow.

Since being a first-round pick of Detroit in the 2018 NFL Draft – going 20th overall – the 6-foot-5, 311-pound All-Pro, has not only become the cornerstone of the Lions’ offensive line, but arguably the best center in professional football.

Unfortunately, Ragnow is also no stranger to the injury report. A still lingering turf toe injury sustained in 2021, limited him to just four games that year. Just this past season, alone, he made a number of appearances on the injured list with knee, ankle, back, and toe ailments. That also included painful knee and ankle sprains he endured during a 31-23 playoff victory over Tampa Bay on Jan. 21.

Despite suffering from an array of injuries the following week, Ragnow was a full-participant at practice and played all 72 offensive snaps in a season-ending loss to San Francisco in the NFC Championship game. But following the game, the banged-up Ragnow seemed to contemplate retiring from the game, saying he was going to “take a look at my body and my MRIs and figure everything out.”

Although he didn’t specifically say that he was pondering retirement, he did reference the physical and mental toll the game has taken on him. There was also growing speculation around the Lions that Ragnow could call it quits.

“It takes a toll on you,” he told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “It really takes a toll on you, so I need to find a way to get back to Frank, and I don’t regret any of this at all. But it weighs on you and I’m just going to take some time and really figure everything out to make sure that I’m feeling good. Not only for me, the football player, but for me to be the best husband and best father and everything with that as well.”

But the Lions were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief at the NFL Honors event on Feb. 8, when Ragnow was all smiles as he announced that he had figured it out, and would return for the 2024 season.

“I’m not retiring,” he said. “I just need a few weeks to get healthy.”

Ragnow has long earned the respect of his teammates and bosses, as they recognize the toll the injuries have taken on him and the physical pain he has been put through.

“I have so much respect for him and for everything that he goes through and fights through, that I’m just respectful of his time and his thoughts,” Detroit General Manager Brad Holmes said after the season. “We’re not going to pressure him to do anything or make any moves.”

Even in an injury-plagued 2023, Ragnow was still good enough to earn second-team All-Pro honors and be selected to the Pro Bowl.

The 27-year-old Ragnow is still under contract for the next three years. so his future appears to remain bright with the Lions, who just completed their best season since 1957’s NFL Championship campaign.

The Minnesota native arrived in Fayetteville as a 4-Star prospects in 2014 and quickly made his presence felt, being named to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team. As a junior he was named First-Team All-American by Pro Football Focus, who also rated him the nation’s top-graded center, as both a junior and senior.

Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77) on the sidelines during action against the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023.

Former Arkansas QB Allen could be 49ers’ primary backup next season

With eight years of NFL experience, former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen could ascend to QB2 in San Francisco next season.

After going to his second Super Bowl in three year, there is a chance former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen could be San Francisco’s primary back-up quarterback next season, according to ProFootballRumors.com.

The 31-year-old Allen was the 49ers’ third-string emergency quarterback for the recent Super Bowl LVIII, sitting behind starter Brock Purdy and backup Sam Darnold. He is just two years removed from being Joe Burrow‘s primary backup for Cincinnati in Super Bowl LVI. Unfortunately, his teams came up short in both games.

But, the way things may likely shake down in the offseason, Allen could spend his ninth season in the NFL as San Francisco’s QB2.

With the rash of injuries to quarterbacks this past season, it could play into Allen’s favor. Seven of the league’s starting quarterbacks − nearly a quarter of them − were sidelined with season-ending injuries.

It is expected that teams will now put more of an emphasis on backup duties in free agency. With Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, being one of the league’s top backups, his price tag may be too much for the 49ers to bear moving forward.

The Athletic’s Matt Barrows said the team views Allen as a “strong candidate” to be Purdy’s primary backup next season. The 49ers made it a priority to acquire Allen after the 2023 draft, even before trading away former first-round pick Trey Lance. With his experience level, Allen is currently signed to the veteran-minimum, $1.23M per season.

Darnold signed a $4.5M deal with the Niners last March, but will likely command more than that in 2024. Now with a year of experience in Head Coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense, Allen should have a chance to ascend.

After being drafted by Jacksonville in the sixth round – 201st overall – in the 2016 NFL Draft, Allen spend his first three seasons with the Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams, but did not see the field. After signing with the Broncos in 2019, he got his first three starts. He then spent three season’s as Joe Burrow’s back-up in Cincinnati, where he got six more starts while Burrow was injured.

The 6-foot-2, 209-pound Allen has a 2-7 career record as a starter, while throwing for 1,611 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the final regular-season game of 2020, he passed for 371 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-31 victory over Houston.

Coming out of Fayetteville High School in 2011, Rivals rated Allen as the No. 5 pro-style quarterback in the nation. Following a slow start as a freshman at Arkansas, he became a major component in turning around the dismal Razorback program, becoming the first quarterback to lead the Hogs to back-to-back bowl wins in consecutive seasons.

With eight professional seasons now under his belt, Allen is the second-longest tenured Razorback signal-caller to play in the NFL. Only Joe Ferguson’s 17-year career, which spanned four franchises from 1973-90, tops Allen’s.

In 38 collegiate starts, Allen ended his career with 7,463 yards passing, which now ranks fourth in program history, while also finishing second in career pass completions (583), second in attempts (1,016) and third in completion percentage (57.4).

Former Razorback LB Greenlaw has successful surgery after Super Bowl

Former Razorback Dre Greenlaw had surgery to repair a torn Achilles’ tendon on Thursday.

Former Arkansas and Fayetteville High standout Dre Greenlaw underwent successful surgery Thursday to repair a fully torn Achilles tendon in his left leg, suffered against Kansas City in Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII.

San Francisco’s 6-foot, 230-pound weakside linebacker has been a mainstay on that daunted Niners defense since his impactful rookie season in 2019. He was voted the No. 79 player in the NFL’s “Top 100 Players of 2023”.

Kansas City was being shut out through the first 20 minutes of the Sunday’s game, while Greenlaw was on the field. All of the Chiefs points were scored after he was carted off, in the 25-22 Kansas City comeback victory.

The Chiefs were able to take advantage of the 49ers without Greenlaw, who finished with three tackles. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes went right at Greenlaw’s replacement, Oren Burks. Mahomes targeted Burks’ assigned receiver nine times, completing all nine passes, including a touchdown.

The freak injury occurred in the second quarter, as Greenlaw began jogging from the sideline onto the field, after a change of possession. He fell to the ground and immediately began grabbing his lower leg. He was eventually carted off to the locker room.

“Dre is the heartbeat of our defense … to lose a guy like Dre, it’s tough,” 49ers tight end George Kittle told ESPN. “He’s just such a fantastic football player, and he’s everything the Niners stand for, so to lose him, it just really, really sucks.”

With full recovery generally taking between six and nine months, the 26-year-old Greenlaw could miss the beginning of his sixth NFL season.

Greenlaw had been dealing with some Achilles’ issues this season, limiting him to just 15 games. He still finished second on the team in tackles behind only All-Pro Fred Warner, racking up 120 stops, with 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and four passes defensed, in the regular season. In the three postseason games, he added 18 tackles, with two interceptions and two passes defensed.

In four seasons at Arkansas, Greenlaw amassed 321 tackles, including 13 for a loss, and four sacks. He also had three interceptions, three fumbles forced and three recovered.

Dre Greenlaw leads the Razorbacks on the field in 2018.

Hogs in the Super Bowl: Every former Arkansas football player to ever make it

A lot of America is tuning in to see if Taylor Swift makes the Super Bowl. Arkansas fans are watching Dre Greenlaw.

Everyone who isn’t a Niners or Chiefs fan may be focused on Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Unless you’re from Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Dre Greenlaw and Brandon Allen were All-SEC type of players during their time playing for the Arkansas football team in the late 2010s. Before that, they were all-class type of players during their playing time for the Fayetteville High School football team in the early 2010s.

If one believes that success breeds success, it’s fits for Greenlaw and Allen, both of whom will participate in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday when their team, the San Francisco 49ers, play the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas.

That phrase, “success breeds success,” isn’t just about Greenlaw’s and Allen’s coincidental together-ness on the football field. It’s also about how Allen is now tied for the Super Bowl appearances for a former Arkansas player in history. And Greenlaw is one behind him, with Sunday’s game marking his second such.

For Allen, the third-string quarterback for the Niners, the game will be his third, but for three different teams. Both of Greenlaw’s trips to the Super Bowl have come with San Francisco. But besides them, who was the last former Razorbacks football player to play in the most famous individual game in the world?

Well, here is the complete list of former Arkansas players who have made it to the Super Bowl.

Hog legend Dan Hampton to enter NFF College football Hall of Fame

Former Arkansas Razorbacks All-American Dan Hampton is slated to become the 21st Hog to be inducted the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame.

It’s been 45 years since Dan Hampton departed Arkansas for an NFL Hall of Fame career, but the accolades keep coming in for the Jacksonville product.

It was announced Monday that the 66-year-old Hampton, affectionately known as “Danimal,” is slated to become the 21st Razorback to be inducted the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame.

Hampton spent four years as a defensive tackle for the Razorbacks, from 1975-78, playing for a pair of legendary coaches. He played the final two season’s of Coach Frank Broyles’ career, then wrapped up his final two seasons under Coach Lou Holtz. Arkansas went 35-10-2 record during Hampton’s career, including a mark of 22-8-1 in the Southwest Conference.

Hampton amassed 239 tackles – 126 unassisted – as a Razorback, including 32 from behind the line of scrimmage and six fumble recoveries. As a senior in 1978, he totaled 98 tackles, including 18 behind the line of scrimmage, while being named SWC Defensive Player of the Year and earning first-team All-SWC honors.

He was also named an AFCA First-Team All-American that season, leading Arkansas to a No. 3 finish in the national polls, following the 31-6 rout of heavily favored No. 2 Oklahoma.

In 1991, Hampton was elected to the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor and a year later, was voted to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. He was selected to the Razorbacks’ All-Century team in 1994 and was later named one of the state’s Top 50 greatest athletes of the 20th century.

After being the No. 4 overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft by Chicago, Hampton spent 12 seasons with the Bears, and is one of only two players to play for the franchise in three different decades. He was also one of the cornerstones of the famous 1985 Bears defense that cruised to a 46-10 victory over New England in Super Bowl XX. That vaunted “46 Defense” allowed just 198 points all season, and recorded shutouts in both NFC playoff games.

Razorbacks in the NFF College Football Hall of Fame:

2024 – Dan Hampton (DL)

2019 – Darren McFadden (RB)

2017 – Danny Ford (HC)
2012 – Jimmy Johnson (DL/AC)
2010 – Ronnie Caveness (LB)
2008 – Lou Holtz (HC)
2004 – Wayne Harris (LB)
2004 – Tracy Rocker (AC)
2003 – Doug Dickey (AC)
2003 – Hayden Fry (AC)
2001 – Barry Switzer (AC)
2000 – Billy Ray Smith Jr. (LB)
1999 – Chuck Dicus (WR)
1997 – Bowden Wyatt (HC)
1992 – Loyd Phillips (DL)
1987 – Johnny Majors (AC)
1984 – Lance Alworth (WR)
1983 – Frank Broyles (HC)
1971 – Clyde Scott (RB/DB)
1967 – Wear Schoonover (WR)
1954 – Hugo Bezdek (HC)

Dan Hampton makes a tackle during the 1978 Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma.

Jan 26, 1986; New Orleans, LA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Chicago Bears defensive tackle (99) Dan Hampton pressures New England Patriots quarterback (11) Tony Eason during Super Bowl XX at the Superdome. The Bears dominated the Patriots 46-10 giving the Bears their first ever Super Bowl victory. The Chicago defense had 7 sacks and limited the Patriots to a record-low seven rushing yards. Mandatory Credit: Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK

NFL Hogs update heading into the stretch run

Arkansas football has a number of players making major impacts on NFL rosters.

There are three weeks to go in the NFL regular season, and a bunch of former Razorbacks are helping their teams get ready to make a playoff push or stay in contention.

In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens are currently in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed and home field throughout the playoffs.

Meanwhile, in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers occupy that spot, and have participated in three of the last four conference championship games.

If the Ravens and 49ers do ultimately end up meeting in Super Bowl LVIII, it would be a rematch of Super Bowl XLVII, which was won by Baltimore, 34-31 and was most remembered for the lights going out in the Superdome briefly.

Here are the current #ProHogs doing damage.

Watch: Dre Greenlaw ejected for hitting Eagles head of security in the face

Greenlaw, a former Arkansas standout turned starting linebacker for San Francisco, threw the only punch in the scuffle.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter after hitting a member of the Eagles’ security staff in the face.

Greenlaw, who played at Arkansas from 2015-18, slammed down Eagles wide Devonta Smith on the Eagles’ sideline after Smith made a catch to put Philadelphia inside the 49ers’ 30. Greenlaw was flagged after the tackle and a scuffle ensued. Greenlaw appeared to be attempted feigning a punch toward the secruity member’s face, but actually connected.

The security guard was later identified as Eagles head of security Dom DiSandro.

Greenlaw immediately put his hands up and when officials intervened, he pointed to the security guard as if to suggest he was the aggressor. San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner walked Greenlaw away from the sideline back toward the 49ers’.

The 49ers entered the game leading the NFC West and the Eagles, at 10-1, led the NFC East with football’s best record.

Greenlaw entered the game second on the 49ers roster in tackles, behind Warner, this season. He’s been a starter for San Francisco all five years he has been in the league.

At Arkansas, Greenlaw, a Fayetteville High graduate, was an All-SEC linebacker who regististerd 320 tackles in his four seasons.

Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks carted off field in game vs Steelers

The Arkansas native and former Razorback was later seen leaving the locker room on his own.

Former Arkansas and current Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks was carted off the field Thursday after suffering a hard fall to the ground against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Burks leaped to make a catch and when he came down, he landed on his left side, his head bouncing off the turf. When he his body stopped moving from the crash, Burks appeared to be unconscious. Medical staff attended, placing Burks in a neck brace and on a spinal board.

Later, Burks was seen walking out of the locker room under his own power.

The Arkansas native previously suffered a concussion in 2022, his rookie season with the Titans after being drafted in the first round coming out of Arkansas.

Burks, a graduate of Warren High School, is Arkansas’ fourth leading receiver in school history. He had eight catches for 120 yards in five games this season for the Titans.

Former Hog Kam Curl becoming one of the NFL’s best safeties

Former Razorback safety Kam Curl has developed into one of the NFL’s premiere players.

When former Arkansas safety Kamren Curl was drafted in seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, his prognosis for a impactful professional career seemed like a longshot.

The Washington Commanders selected the 6-foot-2, 198-pound Curl with the 216th overall pick, following his junior season with the Razorbacks. He immediately caught the eye of Washington coaches his rookie season, displaying veteran-like tendencies in terms of always knowing where to be.

Now, he has become one of the draft’s biggest steals. In his fourth season with the 3-5 Commanders, he has not only secured his place atop the team’s depth chart, but has developed into one of the game’s best at his position.

Prior to the 2023 season, Curl landed at No. 85 on the CBS Sports Top 100 NFL Players list. And he has not disappointed, becoming Washington’s leading tackler this season with 65 total tackles through the first eight games – an 8.1 per-game clip. He currently ranks 21st in the NFL for overall tackles and sixth in the league with 41 solo stops.

“Pay attention. This kid has developed into one of the best young safeties in the game. He’s good in both the run and against the pass,” the CBS Sports site stated.

The 24-year-old Curl has reached double-digits in tackles three times this season, including a career-high 12 against Philadelphia in Week 4, then an 11-tackle performance against Atlanta two weeks later. He finished with seven tackles and his first career forced fumble in Sunday’s 38-31 loss to the Eagles.

Through the first three-plus seasons of his NFL career, Curl has racked up 335 tackles, five sacks, three interceptions and 13 pass deflections.

“I think the guy that’s kind of starting to find his voice is Kam Curl,” said Washington Head Coach Ron Rivera. “He’s played very well for us. (The secondary group) is really coming together.”

Curl played at least 700 snaps in each of his first three seasons, and finished as a top-30 safety by Pro Football Focus’s (PFF) grade in each of those years. He has played all 482 of the Commanders’ defensive snaps this season.

In 2022, he earned the second-highest grade at the position and was the league’s only safety to earn at least an 80.0 PFF grade in run defense, tackling and coverage. He ended last season ranked as PFF’s No. 4 safety, after posting Top 10 grades as a run defender (80.5) and in coverage (80.8).

Although injuries limited him to just 12 games a year ago, he finished third on the team with 83 tackles and second with 58 solo tackles, which included six tackles behind the line of scrimmage and a sack.

Curl’s lone knock early in his career was his ability to finish plays, but after intense work in the offseason, his tackling skills developed significantly last season. After ranking in the Top 10 in most missed tackles as a rookie, he finished in the Top 10 in fewest missed tackles in 2022.

“Mentally, I’m better,” Curl said. “Seeing stuff, anticipating stuff and knowing what offenses are going to do. All around I feel like I’m a better football player than I was as a rookie.”

That same improvement continued in his man-coverage skills, as well. Much like his missed-tackle rate, his man-coverage grade was much lower in his rookie season, compared to last season. He went from being a middle-of-the-pack man-coverage defender to one of the NFL’s best. He finished with the second-highest man-coverage grade among safeties.

His versatility to play anywhere on the field has also been a bonus for Washington, which allows their defense to give opposing offenses multiple looks without a drop-off in talent. He often lines up as a deep free safety, a slot cornerback or a box player. He can excel in every coverage role asked of him, without losing any leverage in the run game. And despite his smaller frame, he’s not afraid to sacrifice his body at the line of scrimmage.

Curl is in the final year of his 4-year, $3,408,328 rookie contract, which carries an average annual salary of $852,082. He is slated to become a free agent in the spring, and should be able to parlay his rigid performance into a huge cash increase. The NFL’s top safeties earn between $13-19 million per year.

“I feel like I should be getting paid more than I am right now, a seventh-round contract,” said Curl, whose agent is former Arkansas running back Rawleigh Williams III. “I’m proud of myself just to know that it’s a discussion. I’ve worked my way up from a seventh-round pick to now being talked about getting that second contract. That’s what every guy wants coming into the league. They want that second contract.”

Curl came to Arkansas in 2017, out of Muskogee, Okla., and made an immediate impact for the Razorbacks. He started 11 of 12 games his freshman season, then started all 11 contests in each, his sophomore and junior seasons.

He tallied 175 total career tackles at Arkansas. His final season, he registered 76 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. He was also the first player in the country that season to record a sack, an interception and score a touchdown on a fumble recovery, accomplishing that feat in just the first two games.

Curl was named a second-team All-SEC performer after his junior season, by PFF. His 87.6 overall grade was the highest mark on the team that year and tied for third-highest among SEC safeties.

Aug 31, 2019; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Kamren Curl (2) gets ready to tackle Portland State Vikings quarterback Davis Alexander (6) during the game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

Former Hog Stromberg working way into Commanders’ rotation

Former Razorback Ricky Stromberg played a season-high 22 snaps for Washington this past weekend.

With the Washington Commanders struggling along the offensive line this season, former Arkansas center Ricky Stromberg may soon be planting his feet in the regular rotation.

The 6-foot-4, 313-pound Tulsa native is a rookie for the Commanders, who selected him in the third round –  in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Stromberg played a season-high 22 snaps at right guard in Washington’s 17-7 loss to the New York Giants last Sunday. He is currently listed on the official depth chart as the backup at right guard and third-team at center.

He has played in three total games this season, with 26 total snaps.

He started 44 games for Arkansas from 2019-22, including 25 straight to end his career. His senior season at center, he was named Honorable Mention All-America by Pro Football Focus, as well as First-Team All-SEC. He became the fourth Razorback to win the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given annually to the league’s best offensive lineman.

He did not allow a sack or a hit on the quarterback his senior year, according to PFF, and allowed just four sacks over his four seasons in Fayetteville.