John Hughes III (born April 27, 1988) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. He was drafted by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

in the third round in the

2012 NFL Draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

. 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 ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

High school career

John Hughes attended

Gahanna Lincoln High School Lincoln High School is a public high school in Gahanna, Ohio, United States. It is in the Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools district. History The current school building opened in 1928 in what is now known as Lincoln Hall. Multiple expansio ...

Gahanna, Ohio Gahanna ( ) is a city situated in northeast Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Columbus. The population was 35,726 at the 2020 census. It was founded in 1849. History Gahanna was founded along the Big Walnut Creek in 18 ...

. Hughes played tight end at Gahanna Lincoln and was initially recruited by colleges as either a tight end or defensive end. A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, Hughes accepted a scholarship from the University of Cincinnati. Hughes is the second player ever to be drafted in the NFL from Gahanna Lincoln. Robert James White was the first in 1953 to the Baltimore Colts.

College career

Hughes accepted a scholarship from the University of Cincinnati, playing defensive tackle for the Bearcats. With his coaches acknowledging his rare combination of size, speed, and power, Hughes switched to defensive tackle upon his arrival at the University of Cincinnati. A four-year contributor and two-year starter for the Bearcats, Hughes became a disruptive force along the defensive line. In his senior season alone, Hughes recorded 12.5 tackles for loss and 5 quarterback sacks. Upon completing his collegiate career, Hughes was awarded the Ray Sheakley Most Improved Leader Award as well as the John Pease Outstanding Lineman Award.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Hughes was invited to the 2012

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 Footba ...

upon completion of his impressive collegiate career. Hampered by a hamstring injury, Hughes had limited participation at the Combine. Hughes was drafted 87th overall by the

in the third round of the

. Hughes earned his first professional sack against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 16, 2012. On March 13, 2015, Hughes signed a four-year, $14.4 million contract extension. On September 20, 2016, Hughes was released by the Browns.

New England Patriots

On September 27, 2016, Hughes was signed by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. He was released on October 1, 2016.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On October 3, 2016, Hughes was signed by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

He was released on December 10, 2016 but was re-signed three days later.

New Orleans Saints

On August 12, 2017, Hughes was signed by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. He was released on September 2, 2017. He was re-signed on October 4. He was released by the Saints on November 6 and re-signed on November 8, 2017. He was placed on injured reserve on December 27, 2017 after suffering a torn biceps in Week 16.

Buffalo Bills

On July 26, 2018, Hughes signed a one-year contract with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

. Hughes was released by the Bills on August 12, 2018.

References

External links

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Cleveland Browns bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, John 1988 births Living people American football defensive tackles American football defensive ends Lincoln High School (Gahanna, Ohio) alumni Cincinnati Bearcats football players Cleveland Browns players New England Patriots players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players New Orleans Saints players Sportspeople from Franklin County, Ohio Buffalo Bills players