Hroniss Grasu (/həˈrnɪs ˈɡrɑːs/ hə-ROH-niss GRAH-soo; born August 12, 1991) is an American professional football center. He played college football for the University of Oregon, and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft.

Hroniss Grasu
Personal information
Born: (1991-08-12) August 12, 1991 (age 33)
Northridge, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:300 lb (136 kg)
Career information
High school:Crespi Carmelite
(Encino, California)
College:Oregon (2010–2014)
Position:Center
NFL draft:2015 / round: 3 / pick: 71
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Games played:33
Games started:17
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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A native of Los Angeles, California, Grasu attended Crespi Carmelite High School, where he was an All-State offensive lineman. Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Grasu was ranked as the No. 12 center prospect in his class.[1]

College career

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As a freshman, Grasu took over as the starting center for the Oregon Ducks and remained the starter through his senior season. He earned All-Freshman Second-team in 2011, as well as All-Pac-12 Conference First-team in 2012, 2013 and 2014. He was named an All-American in 2013 and 2014. He was also a finalist for the Rimington Trophy in 2013 and 2014.[2]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)
297 lb
(135 kg)
32+18 in
(0.82 m)
10+14 in
(0.26 m)
5.03 s 1.69 s 2.82 s 4.20 s 7.84 s
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[3][4]

Chicago Bears

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Grasu was drafted in the third round by the Chicago Bears with the 71st overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft.[5] The move reunited him with college teammate Kyle Long.

On August 30, 2016, Grasu was placed on injured reserve.[6]

On September 2, 2018, Grasu was released by the Bears.[7]

Baltimore Ravens (first stint)

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On September 24, 2018, Grasu was signed by the Baltimore Ravens.[8] He played in three games before being released on November 24, 2018.[9]

Miami Dolphins

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On December 12, 2018, Grasu was signed by the Miami Dolphins, but was released nine days later.[10][11]

Tennessee Titans

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On February 7, 2019, Grasu was signed by the Tennessee Titans, reuniting with college teammate Marcus Mariota.[12] He was released on August 31, 2019.[13] He was re-signed on September 10, 2019.[14] He was released again on October 8, 2019.[15] He was signed once again on October 31, 2019.[16] He was released on December 3, 2019.

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

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On December 4, 2019, Grasu was claimed off waivers by the Ravens.[17]

San Francisco 49ers

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On August 20, 2020, Grasu signed with the San Francisco 49ers.[18] He was released on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[19][20] After being elevated to the active roster for the team's first two games, Grasu was promoted to the active roster on September 26, 2020.[21] He was placed on the team's reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 19, 2020,[22] and activated on November 25.[23] He was placed back on the COVID-19 list on December 28, 2020,[24] and activated on January 14, 2021.[25]

Las Vegas Raiders

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On October 25, 2021, Grasu was signed to the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad.[26] After the Raiders were eliminated in the 2021 Wild Card round of the playoffs, he signed a reserve/future contract on January 17, 2022.[27]

On August 30, 2022, Grasu was waived by the Raiders and signed to the practice squad the next day.[28][29] He was promoted to the active roster on December 10.[30]

On August 29, 2023, Grasu was released by the Raiders and re-signed to the practice squad.[31] He was signed to the active roster on December 21.[32]

Personal life

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Grasu is of Romanian descent.[33] His parents, Ștefan and Mariana Grasu, emigrated from Romania to Los Angeles in 1982, opening the "Greco's New York Pizzeria" on Hollywood Boulevard.[34][35] His older brother, Nico, was a placekicker for Washington State (2008–10).

Grasu was roommates with Bryan Bennett, Oregon's former backup quarterback and a former teammate of Grasu at Crespi.[36]

His selection with the 71st overall pick in the draft by the Bears was portrayed in the season 7 premiere of The League on FX.

Grasu married New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu in March 2024. Ionescu is also of Romanian descent.[37][38]

References

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  1. ^ Rankings Yahoo! [dead link]
  2. ^ College Football Awards 2014
  3. ^ "Hroniss Grasu Draft Profile". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  4. ^ "Hroniss Grasu, Virginia Tech, C, 2015 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  5. ^ "NFL Draft picks 2015: Hroniss Grasu taken by Bears in 3rd round". SB Nation. May 1, 2015.
  6. ^ Mayer, Larry (August 30, 2016). "Bears trim five to reach 75-man limit". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Mayer, Larry (September 2, 2018). "Roster Moves: Bears place Shaheen on IR, waive Grasu". ChicagoBears.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  8. ^ Mink, Ryan (September 24, 2018). "Ravens Sign Former Starting Center Hroniss Grasu". BaltimoreRavens.com.
  9. ^ Brown, Clifton (November 24, 2018). "CB Maurice Canady Activated From IR, G/C Hroniss Grasu Waived". BaltimoreRavens.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "Dolphins Sign Hroniss Grasu". MiamiDolphins.com. December 12, 2018.
  11. ^ "Maurice Smith Promoted To Active Roster". MiamiDolphins.com. December 21, 2018.
  12. ^ Wyatt, Jim (February 7, 2019). "Titans Add Veteran Offensive Lineman Hroniss Grasu". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  13. ^ Wyatt, Jim (August 31, 2019). "Roster Moves: Titans Trim Roster to 53 Players While Also Trading WR Taywan Taylor to Browns". TitansOnline.com.
  14. ^ Wyatt, Jim (September 10, 2019). "Titans Bring Back OL Hroniss Grasu, Waive RB Dalyn Dawkins". TitansOnline.com.
  15. ^ Wyatt, Jim (October 8, 2019). "Titans Add K Cody Parkey and Two RBs – Rod Smith and Dalyn Dawkins – During a Flurry of Roster Moves". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  16. ^ Wyatt, Jim (October 31, 2019). "Roster Move: Titans Re-Sign OL Hroniss Grasu, Release WR Darius Jennings". TitansOnline.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  17. ^ Brown, Clifton (December 4, 2019). "Ravens Claim Veteran Center Off Waivers". BaltimoreRavens.com.
  18. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  19. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. September 5, 2020.
  20. ^ "49ers Sign 16 Players to the Practice Squad". 49ers.com. September 5, 2020.
  21. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. September 26, 2020.
  22. ^ "49ers Place Two on Reserve/COVID-19 List". 49ers.com. November 19, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  23. ^ Martin, Keiana (November 25, 2020). "Richard Sherman, Deebo Samuel and Others Likely to Return vs. Rams". 49ers.com. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  24. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. December 28, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  25. ^ "49ers' Hroniss Grasu: Back from COVID-19 list". CBSSports.com. January 14, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  26. ^ "Raiders sign TE Daniel Helm to active roster, OL Hroniss Grasu to practice squad". Raiders.com. October 25, 2021.
  27. ^ Raiders Public Relations (January 17, 2022). "Raiders announce Reserve/Future signings". Raiders.com. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  28. ^ "Raiders finalize initial 53-man roster for the 2022 season". Raiders.com. August 30, 2022.
  29. ^ "Raiders announce practice squad additions". Raiders.com. August 31, 2022.
  30. ^ @Raiders (December 10, 2022). "We have signed C Hroniss Grasu to the active roster and waived G John Simpson" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ^ "Raiders finalize initial 53-man roster for the 2023 season". Raiders.com. August 29, 2023.
  32. ^ Damien, Levi. "Raiders waive DE Malik Reed, sign C Hroniss Grasu". Raiders Wire. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  33. ^ "C Grasu is the anchor of Oregon's offense". USA Today. August 18, 2014.
  34. ^ "Grasu's kid brother growing up quickly". Archived from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  35. ^ "Oregon center Hroniss Grasu's journey from Crespi to CFP title game". Los Angeles Daily News. January 10, 2015.
  36. ^ Oregon center Hroniss Grasu 'clears out all the chaos' for Marcus Mariota and the Ducks
  37. ^ "Basketball Star Sabrina Ionescu Is Married! See the Sweet Photos from Guests Including Vanessa Bryant". March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  38. ^ Hooks, Kalan (March 12, 2024). "Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu gets married to Raiders' Hroniss Grasu". ESPN. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
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