Position: Tight end College: Notre Dame Name Kyle Rudolph 40 yard dash time 4.78 seconds | Place of birth: Cincinnati, Ohio Roster status: active Height 1.98 m Weight 117 kg | |
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Date of birth: (1989-11-09) November 9, 1989 (age 26) NFL draft: 2011 / Round: 2 / Pick: 43 Role American football tight end Current team Minnesota Vikings (#82 / Tight end) Education Elder High School, University of Notre Dame Similar People Harrison Smith, Teddy Bridgewater, Chad Greenway, Anthony Barr, Tyler Eifert Profiles | ||
2014 fantasy football sleeper rankings kyle rudolph and the top 5 tight end sleepers
Kyle Daniel Rudolph (born November 9, 1989) is an American football tight end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). Rudolph played college football for the University of Notre Dame. He was drafted by the Vikings in the second round, 43rd overall of the 2011 NFL Draft. He was selected for the Pro Bowl following the 2012 NFL season.
Contents
- 2014 fantasy football sleeper rankings kyle rudolph and the top 5 tight end sleepers
- Kyle rudolph nd 1st string tight end
- Early years
- College career
- 2011 NFL Draft
- Minnesota Vikings
- Career Stats
- References
Kyle rudolph nd 1st string tight end
Early years
Rudolph attended Elder High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a junior, he caught 30 passes for 400 yards and seven touchdowns en route to earning first-team All-city and All-conference honors. As a senior in 2008, he was named first-team All-American by USA Today after totaling 37 receptions for 673 yards (18.2 yards per catch) and 11 touchdowns. He was placed on the Scout.com All-America first team and was the lone tight end among the 11 finalists for the high school Maxwell Award. He received first-team All-Southwest Ohio as a senior after being named second team as a junior and was named second-team All-state by the Associated Press. Following his senior season, Rudolph was invited to play in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl held in San Antonio, Texas.
Also an accomplished basketball player, Rudolph played center for his high school team and was the conference player of the year three times and All-Southwest Ohio in 2007. He is currently the second-leading scorer in school history and became just the second Panther to surpass 1,000 career points. He set the school record for most career rebounds when he corralled his 568th rebound on Jan. 11, 2008. Against Moeller (No. 1 in Ohio, No. 9 in the nation) on Jan. 25, 2008, he scored 25 of Elder's 52 points as the Panthers almost upset the top-ranked team in Ohio, 58-52.
Rudolph was rated as the best tight end and 20th best overall recruit in the class of 2008 according to Rivals.com. He was named the second-best player and the top tight end in the Detroit Free Press' Best of the Midwest Top 20 list. He was considered the No. 1 tight end in the recruiting class and the 20th-best prospect in the nation by Tom Lemming. He was ranked 21st in the country and No. 2 in the state of Ohio by Scout.com. He was also considered the 23rd-best player by Sports Illustrated. He accepted a scholarship offer from Notre Dame over Michigan, Tennessee, and Ohio State.
College career
As a freshman in 2008, Rudolph became the first tight end in Notre Dame history to start every game as a freshman. He ended the season with 29 receptions for 340 yards and two touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2009 he played in only nine games, missing three due to a shoulder injury. He finished the season with 33 receptions for 364 yards and three touchdowns. As a junior in 2010, he played in only six games due to a hamstring injury. He finished the season with 28 receptions for 328 yards and three touchdowns. On January 4, 2011, he declared for the 2011 NFL Draft.
2011 NFL Draft
The Minnesota Vikings selected Rudolph with the 43rd overall pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Minnesota Vikings
During his rookie season, Rudolph caught 26 passes for 249 yards with a 9.6 yard average per reception and three receiving touchdowns.
In 2012 Rudolph had, in many ways, a breakout year. He was targeted 93 times and tallied 53 receptions averaging 9.3 yards per reception. Rudolph finished the year with 493 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Rudolph was selected for his first pro-bowl in his career at the conclusion of the season as a replacement for Tony Gonzalez. In the Pro Bowl game he caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning on the last play of the first half, and was named MVP of the game.
On July 27, 2014, Rudolph and the Vikings agreed to a five-year extension that could be worth up to $40 million. On September 22, 2014, it was announced that Rudolph would undergo surgery for a sports hernia, requiring 6 weeks to recover.