Mitchell Schwartz

This article is about the NFL player. For the political operative, see Mitchell Schwartz (public figure).
Mitchell Schwartz

refer to caption

Schwartz with the Cleveland Browns
No. 71 Kansas City Chiefs
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1989-06-08) June 8, 1989
Place of birth: Pacific Palisades, California
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight: 320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school: Pacific Palisades (CA) Charter
College: California
NFL Draft: 2012 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37
Career history
Career NFL statistics as of 2015
Games played: 64
Games started: 64
Player stats at NFL.com

Mitchell Bryan Schwartz (born June 8, 1989) is an American football offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL).

Schwartz played college football at the University of California, Berkeley, for the Golden Bears. He started all 51 games possible from 2008–11, at either left tackle or right tackle. He was named second-team All-Pac-10 as a junior, and first-team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Academic as a senior. He also earned honorable mention Pac-10 All-Academic (2008–10), and the Brick Muller Award as Cal's Most Valuable Offensive Lineman (2009–11), for three seasons each.[1]

Schwartz was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round (37th overall) of the 2012 NFL draft. He started all 48 games of his first three years at right tackle, without missing a snap. Schwartz was named to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) 2012 All-Rookie Team, lauded for his "top-notch pass blocking", and to the 2014 PFF All-Third Year Team.

Early years and personal life

Schwartz was born in Pacific Palisades, California, weighing 8 pounds 12 ounces (4.0 kg) and grew up in West Los Angeles.[2][3] He is the son of Lee Schwartz, a business consultant to manufacturing companies, and Olivia Goodkin, an attorney.[3][4] Schwartz is Jewish, and was raised in Conservative Judaism.[3] His Hebrew name is Mendel.[3]

Schwartz didn't start playing football until he was a freshman in high school.[2] When he started the ninth grade, he was already 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall and 240 pounds (110 kg), too big for the size restrictions of the local Pop Warner youth leagues.[2][5] Second, his parents wanted him to instead focus on studying for his Bar Mitzvah.[2][3][6]

His brother, offensive guard Geoff Schwartz, played in the NFL for the New York Giants. Geoff was released by the Giants in February 2016. Other Jewish football players in the NFL include Gabe Carimi, Erik Lorig, Taylor Mays, Nate Ebner, Adam Podlesh, Antonio Garay, Kyle Kosier, Brian de la Puente, and Igor Olshansky.[7][8][9] Geoff and Mitchell are the first Jewish brothers to play in the NFL since Ralph Horween and Arnold Horween, in 1923.[10][11]

His father, speaking of the fact that he has two sons playing in the National Football League, said: "I just kvell."[12][13] His mother, commenting on having two sons play football, said:

I started out worrying that they were going to get hurt—but then I realized it was the other players I should be worrying about. They were like trucks hitting small cars. And I started to kind of feel like maybe this was their destiny.[3]

High school career

Schwartz attended Palisades Charter High School. Playing football for his high school team, on which he was the team captain, he was regarded as a three-star offensive tackle prospect by Rivals.com, and by Scout.com which ranked him # 23.[14][15]

He began as a quarterback, but quickly moved over to offensive tackle where he was a four-year starter.[2] Schwartz was a two-time All-State "underclassman" pick, and earned 2005 All-Western League and All-City honors as a junior.[1] As a senior, he was the 2006 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Los Angeles City Offensive Lineman of the Year, 2006 Western League Lineman of the Year, and received Prepstar 2006 All-West Region honors.[1][16]

Schwartz was also an all-league pitcher on the school baseball team.[2][17] Academically, he had a 4.3 GPA and a 34 ACT, and was named to the Principal's Honor Roll and Dean's List.[1][15]

Coming out of high school, he received football offers from Cal, Michigan, Stanford, Virginia, Tennessee, Oregon, and Washington State.[17] At a spring LA Scout.com combine, Schwartz measured 6 feet 5.5 inches (1.969 m) tall, and weighed 303 pounds (137 kg). He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.28, and had a time in the 20-yard shuttle of 4.87; he also had a time in the shuttle of 4.78 at the Stanford Nike combine.[17][18]

College career

Schwartz attended the University of California, Berkeley, from 2007 to December 2011. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in American Studies, with an emphasis on human development and identity.[1][19]

He redshirted in 2007, and did not play.[1] In 2008, Schwartz started all 13 games, the first 3 games at right tackle and the remaining 10 at left tackle.[1] He was named a second-team Freshman All-American by College Football News, received the Bob Tessier Award as Cal's Most Improved Offensive Lineman, and received honorable mention Pac-10 All-Academic honors.[1]

In 2009, Schwartz started all 13 games at right tackle.[1] He was Lindy's second-team preseason All-Pac-10, was Athlon third-team preseason All-Pac-10, was a Phil Steele preseason, midseason, and postseason third-team All-Pac-10 choice, received All-Pac-10 honorable mention and Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention, and received Cal's Brick Muller Award as its Most Valuable Offensive Lineman.[1]

In 2010, he started all 12 games at left tackle, heading an offensive line that blocked for 1,167-yard rusher Shane Vereen.[1] Schwartz was a second-team preseason All-Pac-10 choice by Athlon, Lindy's, and Steele, as Steele also listed him as the nation's # 63 draft-eligible tackle.[1] He was a second-team All-Pac-10 choice, and was first-team on Phil Steele's midseason All-Pac-10 team and second-team on his postseason All-Pac-10 squad.[1] Schwartz was a member of the Jewish Sports Review's 2010 College Football All-America Team, received Cal's Brick Muller Award as its Most Valuable Offensive Lineman for the second straight year, and won Cal's Andy Smith Award as its player with the most Big "C" time.[1][20][21][22] He was also an honorable mention Pac-10 All-Academic selection for the third consecutive season.[1]

In 2011, Schwartz started all 13 games at left tackle.[1] It was the fourth consecutive season in which he started each of Cal's games.[1] He headed an offensive line that blocked for 1,322-yard rushing tailback Isi Sofele, who rushed for the sixth-highest total in Cal history.[1] He helped the team average 28.3 points and 401.5 yards per game.

Schwartz was a first-team All-Pac-10 preseason choice of Athlon, Phil Steele (who named him the nation's # 24 draft-eligible tackle), and Sporting News, a Lindy's second-team preseason All-Pac-10 pick (whom they listed as one of Cal's "Players to Watch"), and a third-team preseason All-American by GoDaddy.com and Sporting News.[1] He was a second-team midseason All-Pac-12 selection of Steele.[1] He received Cal's Brick Muller Award as its Most Valuable Offensive Lineman for the third straight season, and received a Cort Majors Captains Award on offense.[1] He was on the watch lists for the Outland Trophy and the Rotary Lombardi Award.[1] He was voted first-team All-Pac-12, and was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection of ESPN Pac-12 Blog and Phil Steele, as well as a second-team pick of College Sports Madness and Yahoo! Sports.[1]

In his Cal career, Schwartz started all 51 games possible from 2008–11, at either left tackle (35 starts) or right tackle (16 starts), falling 1 start short of Syd'Quan Thompson's school record of 52.[1] At the 2012 Senior Bowl, he started at right tackle for the winning North team, and had what was viewed as an impressive showing.[1] [23]

Schwartz took part in the 2012 NFL Combine. He completed 23 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press, and had times of 5.38 in the 40-yard dash, 7.86 in the 3-cone drill, and 4.87 in the 20-yard shuttle. He had a vertical jump of 26.5", and a broad jump of 7' 5".[1][24] He has a 33.5-inch arm length, an 81 5/8-inch wingspan, 10-inch hands, and wears size 18 shoes.[24][25][26] Due to his shoe size, in college one of his nicknames was "Bigfoot" (he was also known as "Big Show", because he bears a facial and physical resemblance to the giant WWE pro wrestler Big Show).[27]

He had a Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test score of 35. A score of 20 is average, equal to an IQ of 100, and the average NFL player scores a 21.[28][29][30]

NFL career

Cleveland Browns

Schwartz was drafted in the 2nd round (37th overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2012 NFL Draft.[23] ESPN's NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. called Schwartz "the key pick" of the draft for the Browns.[31] He was Cal's highest selection in the 2012 draft, and its first offensive lineman picked in the NFL draft since Alex Mack was also taken by Cleveland in the first round in 2009.[1] He signed a four-year contract with the Browns in May 2012, for $5.17 million.[32]

In 2012, Schwartz started all 16 games for the Browns, and all 1,064 offensive snaps, of his rookie year at right tackle.[33] He was the only Browns rookie, and one of six NFL rookie offensive linemen, to start every game.[34] Schwartz was named to the Pro Football Focus (PFF) 2012 All-Rookie Team, lauded for his "top-notch pass blocking".[35]

In 2013, Schwartz again started all 16 games for the Browns, and played all offensive snaps (1,106).[34] He and the Browns faced his brother's team, the Chiefs, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on October 27, 2013, and the two became the first Jewish siblings to play against each other in NFL history.[34][36]

In 2014, Schwartz for the third straight year started all 16 games for the Browns, and played all offensive snaps.[37] He was named to the 2014 PFF All-Third Year Team.[38] Since Schwartz was drafted, in three years he started all 48 games at right tackle, without missing an offensive snap.[37]

Kansas City Chiefs

On March 9, 2016, Schwartz signed a 5-year, $33 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, making him one of the highest-paid right tackles in the NFL.[39]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 "Mitchell Schwartz Profile". Calbears.com. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Doerschuk, Steve (May 28, 2012). "Browns' Schwartz takes road less traveled to Cleveland". CantonRep.com. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rebecca Meiser (June 18, 2012). "Friday Night Lights: Geoff and Mitchell Schwartz are the First Jewish Brothers in the NFL Since 1923". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  4. ↑ Les Levine (May 3, 2012). "Browns tackle line problems with a Jew". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  5. ↑ Katie Dowd (October 9, 2010). "Mind Over Matter". The Daily Californian. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  6. ↑ John Kuntz (August 5, 2012). "Cleveland Browns rookie tackle Mitchell Schwartz uses brains, brawn to reach NFL". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  7. ↑ Ron Snyder (October 18, 2012). "Active Jewish NFL Players". Baltimore Jewish Times. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  8. ↑ Ron Kaplan (September 11, 2012). "JFL update, Week 1 » Kaplan's Korner on Jews and Sports". New Jersey Jewish News. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  9. ↑ Nate Bloom (October 4, 2012). "Celebrity Jews". Jweekly. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  10. ↑ Gregg Rosenthal (June 19, 2012). "Schwartzes first Jewish brothers in NFL since 1923". NFL.com. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  11. ↑ Barnathan, Lee (May 2, 2012). "Browns pick Schwartz in NFL draft". Jewish Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  12. ↑ Barnathan, Lee (April 25, 2012). "Nothing trivial about these Jews on the gridiron". Jewish Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  13. ↑ Steve Goldberg (December 2010). "Panthers' Geoff Schwartz Still Holds Tight to his Jewish Heritage" (PDF). Charlotte Jewish News. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Mitchell Schwartz". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  15. 1 2 Allen Wallace (December 29, 2006). "The Day Before Christmas". Scout.com. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  16. ↑ Jim McGill (December 29, 2006). "Schwartz Comments on Commitment to Bears". California.scout.com. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  17. 1 2 3 "Mitchell Schwartz has Michigan Lined Up". Michigan.scout.com. August 11, 2006. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Mitchell Schwartz Takes Time to Talk". Michigan.scout.com. May 18, 2006. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  19. ↑ Herb Benenson (December 22, 2011). "Mitchell Schwartz – A Man of Distinction". Calbears.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  20. ↑ Doerschuk, Steve (April 28, 2012). "Draft Day 2: Browns hit trenches, get linemen". CantonRep.com. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Cleveland Takes Mitchell Schwartz in Second Round of 2012 NFL Draft". Calbears.com. April 27, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Mitchell Schwartz, California, NFL Draft". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  23. 1 2 "Browns Select Former Palisades HS Star Mitchell Schwartz". CBS. April 27, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  24. 1 2 "NFL Combine Results". Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Browns draft: Mitchell Schwartz capsule (with video)". The News-Herald. April 28, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  26. ↑ Ulrich, Nate (July 24, 2012). "Browns rookie Mitchell Schwartz ahead of learning curve as he adjusts to NFL". Acron Beacon Journal. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  27. ↑ Tony Grossi (June 8, 2012). "Rookie Mitchell Schwartz is fitting in perfectly at right tackle". ESPN. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  28. ↑ Steve Doerschuk. "Mitchell Schwartz may anchor right side of Browns' line". CantonRep.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  29. ↑ Jeff Merron (May 20, 2003). "Taking your Wonderlics". ESPN. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  30. ↑ Robert M. Guion, Scott Highhouse (2006). Essentials of Personnel Assessment and Selection. Psychology Press. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  31. ↑ "Cleveland Browns Draftee Mitchell Schwartz is City's Newest Jewish Athlete". Jspace.com. May 9, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Mitchell Schwartz Profile". Oregon.scout.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Reviewing the 2012 Cleveland Browns Rookies: Mitchell Schwartz". DraftBrowns.com. January 11, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  34. 1 2 3 "Cleveland Browns: Mitchell Schwartz". clevelandbrowns.com.
  35. ↑ Steve Palazzolo (January 15, 2013). "2012 PFF All-Rookie Team". Pro Football Focus. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  36. ↑ Breech, John (June 11, 2008). "Chiefs sign ex-Viking Geoff Schwartz". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  37. 1 2 Fred Greetham (January 28, 2015). "The Browns strength?; The team does have one, and it may be in the trenches". scout.com.
  38. ↑ "2014 PFF All-Third Year Team". profootballfocus.com.
  39. ↑ http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/03/what_happened_with_mitchell_sc.html#incart_river_index

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