Hjalte Froholdt (YEL-də FROH-holt;[1] born August 20, 1996) is a Danish professional American football center for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft. He played college football at Arkansas.
| No. 72 – Arizona Cardinals | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Center | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | August 20, 1996 Svendborg, Denmark | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 310 lb (141 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) | ||||||
| College: | Arkansas (2015–2018) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2019 / round: 4 / pick: 118 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2024 | |||||||
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Early life
editFroholdt began playing football in his native Denmark for the Svendborg Admirals. After spending his sophomore year as an exchange student at Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio, he returned to Denmark and played for the U-19 youth team of the Søllerød Gold Diggers.[2] He then attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, his senior year before signing to play with the University of Arkansas.[3]
College career
editFroholdt was recruited to Arkansas by then–head coach Bret Bielema, who in 2019 was the defensive line coach for the New England Patriots.[3]
In 2015, Froholdt played as a defensive lineman for the Razorbacks before switching to the offensive line in 2016. He played 13 games at left guard in 2016 and another 12 in 2017, not allowing a sack in 2017. He played three games at center in 2018 before moving back to left guard.[3]
In 2019, Froholdt worked Super Bowl LIII as a broadcaster for the Danish media.[3]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+5⁄8 in (1.95 m) |
306 lb (139 kg) |
31+1⁄4 in (0.79 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
5.20 s | 1.83 s | 3.04 s | 4.54 s | 7.51 s | 27.5 in (0.70 m) |
8 ft 9 in (2.67 m) |
31 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[4][5] | ||||||||||||
New England Patriots
editFroholdt was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round (118th overall) of the 2019 NFL draft.[6] He is only the second native of Denmark to be drafted by an NFL team (the first was kicker Morten Andersen in 1982).[7]
On August 31, 2019, he was placed on injured reserve as a result of a shoulder injury he sustained in Week 4 of preseason against the New York Giants.[8]
On November 21, 2020, Froholdt was waived by the Patriots.[9]
Houston Texans
editOn November 23, 2020, Froholdt was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans.[10] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on December 17, 2020,[11] and activated on January 13, 2021.[12]
On August 31, 2021, Froholdt was waived by the Texans and re-signed to the practice squad.[13][14]
Cleveland Browns
editOn October 5, 2021, Froholdt was signed by the Cleveland Browns off the Houston Texans' practice squad.[15] He was waived on November 27 and re-signed to the practice squad.[16][17] Froholdt was elevated to the Browns' active roster as a COVID-19 replacement player on December 24, 2021.[18]
The Browns signed Froholdt to a reserve/futures contract on January 10, 2022.[19]
Arizona Cardinals
editOn March 15, 2023, Froholdt signed a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals.[20] He was named the Week 1 starting center, and started every game in 2023.
On August 21, 2024, Froholdt signed a two-year extension with the Cardinals.[21]
Personal life
editOn August 23, 2023, Froholdt announced via Instagram that he and his wife, Ashley, had a baby girl, Lucia Loloma.[22]
References
edit- ^ "Hjalte Froholdt". Arkansas Razorbacks. May 8, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ Cox, Zack (April 27, 2019). "Meet Hjalte Froholdt, Patriots' Most Interesting 2019 NFL Draft Pick". NESN.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Hass, Trevor (April 27, 2019). "5 things to know about Patriots draft pick Hjalte Froholdt". Boston.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
- ^ "Hjalte Froholdt Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ^ "2019 NFL Draft Scout Hjalte Froholdt College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ^ "2019 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ Buchmasser, Bernd (April 27, 2019). "NFL draft 2019: Patriots draft OG Hjalte Froholdt with the 118th pick". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ Alper, Josh (August 31, 2019). "Patriots put Hjalte Froholdt, Derek Rivers on injured reserve". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ "Patriots make a series of roster transactions". Patriots.com. November 21, 2020.
- ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (11-23-20)". HoustonTexans.com. November 23, 2020.
- ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (12-17-20)". HoustonTexans.com. December 17, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ^ "Texans' Hjalte Froholdt: Activated from COVID list". CBSSports.com. January 13, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (8-31-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. August 31, 2021.
- ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (9-1-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. September 1, 2021.
- ^ "Browns sign G Hjalte Froholdt". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 5, 2021.
- ^ "Browns activate RB Kareem Hunt and T Jack Conklin, make other roster moves". ClevelandBrowns.com. November 27, 2021.
- ^ "Browns place T Jack Conklin on injured reserve, make other roster moves". ClevelandBrowns.com. November 30, 2021.
- ^ "Browns activate 5 players from reserve/COVID-19 list, make other roster moves". ClevelandBrowns.com. December 24, 2021.
- ^ "Browns sign 8 to reserve/futures contracts". ClevelandBrowns.com. January 10, 2022. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ Urban, Darren (March 15, 2023). "Kyzir White Agrees To Two-Year Deal With Cardinals". AZCardinals.com.
- ^ Urban, Darren (August 21, 2024). "Hjalte Froholdt Signs Contract Extension With Cardinals". AZCardinals.com.
- ^ Froholdt, Hjalte. "Baby Lucia Loloma Froholdt has arrived!". Retrieved August 26, 2023.