John Patrick Greco, Jr. (born March 24, 1985) 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 wi ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

. He was drafted by the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of ...

Early years

Greco was named First-team All-Conference and Second-team All-region as a senior and was Second-team All-Conference as a junior at

Boardman High School Boardman High School is a high school in Boardman Township, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Boardman Local School District. Athletic teams compete as the Boardman Spartans in the Ohio High School Athletic Association as a ...

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, whi ...

College career

At the University of Toledo, he was a three-time All- MAC honoree at left tackle. As a freshman, in 2004, he started at right tackle. In college, he allowed 6.5 sacks in two years. He started 36 games and recorded 275 knockdowns and 34 touchdown-resulting blocks during his three seasons at left tackle. In 2007, he started all 12 games for Toledo and earned First-team All-MAC for the third consecutive season and was a Third-team

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after allowing only three sacks on 411 pass plays. As a junior in 2006 he was the team co-captain started all 13 games at left tackle, earning First-team All-MAC honors. As a sophomore in 2005 Greco was First-team All-MAC in his first season at left tackle. He took over left tackle position after graduation of

Nick Kaczur Nicholas Jesse Kaczur (born July 28, 1979) is a Canadian former American football offensive tackle. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Toledo. Early years While atte ...

. He opened holes for an offense that ranked 13th in the nation in rushing (216.8 yards per game) and 10th in scoring (25.8 points per game). As a freshman in 2004 he started all 13 games at right tackle and earned the team's top freshman award. He redshirted as a true freshman in 2003.

Professional career

St. Louis Rams

Greco was selected 65th overall in the third round for the

in the 2008 NFL Draft. On June 12, 2008, Greco signed a three-year, $1.794 million contract with the Rams, with the deal including a $644,000 signing bonus. He spent 2008 as a backup; due to injuries he started one game at the end of the 2008 NFL season.

Cleveland Browns

After three seasons in St. Louis, the Rams traded Greco to 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 (A ...

for a conditional seventh round draft pick in the 2012 NFL Draft on July 31, 2011. Greco started 12 games in the 2012 season, after an injury to

Jason Pinkston Jason R. Pinkston (born September 5, 1987) is a former American football offensive guard, who played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He is also the cousin of Todd Pinkston, a former NFL wide rec ...

. He played very well, finishing among the highest ranked guards in the league for blocking percentage. On July 23, 2013, Greco signed a five-year contract extension with the Browns, worth a maximum of $13 million with $3 million guaranteed. On October 12, 2014, Greco played at center for the first time of his career after

Alex Mack Javon Alexander Mack (born November 19, 1985) is a former American football center. He played college football for the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round with the 21st overall of the 2 ...

left due to a broken fibula. Greco would miss the last two games of the 2015 season due to spraining one of his MCLs. In 2016, Greco started 12 games at right guard and center and didn't miss an offensive snap all season before sustaining a foot injury in Week 12 of the 2016 season and was placed on injured reserve on November 28, 2016. On September 2, 2017, Greco was released by the Browns.

New Orleans Saints

On October 4, 2017, Greco 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 November 8, 2017.

New York Giants

On November 14, 2017, Greco signed with the New York Giants. On February 21, 2018, Greco re-signed with the Giants. He played in 15 games, starting seven at both center and right guard.

References

External links

*
Cleveland Browns bio

Toledo Rockets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greco, John 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Youngstown, Ohio American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards Toledo Rockets football players St. Louis Rams players Cleveland Browns players New Orleans Saints players New York Giants players