PHOTO COURTESY OF CRSFOOTBALL.COM
Council Rock South graduate Justin Pugh was drafted into the NFL in the first round by the New York Giants.
Council Rock South graduate Justin Pugh is a Giant — in every sense of the word.
The 6-foot-4, 307-pound offensive tackle on Thursday was the New York Giants’ first-round pick in the 2013 National Football League draft. He was the 19th overall draft pick.
Pugh grew up in Holland, Pa., and graduated from Council Rock South High School in 2009. For the past four years he played football for the Syracuse University Orange in Syracuse, NY.
Pugh was in his Bucks County home surrounded by friends and family when he got the phone call from Giants head coach Tom Coughlin informing him he’d been chosen.
As a senior at Council Rock, Pugh earned the Maxwell Award for being a top-50 scholar athlete in the tri-state area. He was also named an All-Area and All-Suburban One League First Team All-Star his junior and senior years. As team captain for the Golden Hawks, Pugh was recognized as team MVP and defensive player of the year in 2008.
At Syracuse, Pugh was red-shirted as a freshman, then again for part of the 2012 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. In 2010 and 2011, he started every game for the Orange. In 2011 he earned an All-Big East first team selection and second-team honors in 2010.
The NFL gave the offensive tackle a grade of 73 on their scale of 100, predicting that he would be chosen in the second or third round of the draft. The NFL labels players with grades between 70 and 84 as “eventual starters.”
During a press conference following the draft, Coughlin said the Giants are excited about Pugh, who Coughlin described as “versatile, smart and technically sound.”
Follow Pugh on Twitter (@JustinPugh67) or become a fan on Facebook (facebook.com/justinpugh67).
Editor’s note: Statistics are courtesy of nfl.com.
— Megan Badger
