Dean Lowry

Dean Vincent Lowry (born June 9, 1994) is an American football defensive end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played high school football at Boylan Central Catholic High School in Rockford, Illinois before attending Northwestern and playing for their football team on a scholarship. At Northwestern, he was a four-year starter at defensive end. He was drafted after his senior year of college by the Green Bay Packers in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Early years

Lowry was born to Margaret and John Lowry and attended Boylan Central Catholic High School in Rockford, Illinois.^[1] Besides football, he lettered in baseball as a freshman and played basketball for one year. He was coached by Dan Appino and was part of two undefeated teams. He was named as a SuperPrep All-Midwest honoree and an All-State selection by both the Chicago Tribune and Champaign-News Gazette.^[2][3] He finished his senior year with 65 tackles (21 for loss), and 10 sacks.

Lowry was ranked as the 34th defensive end in the country and the 17th best prospect in the state of Illinois. He was ranked as a three star recruit and received a number of scholarship offers from schools such as Northwestern, Ball State, Illinois State, Indiana, Iowa, Northern Illinois, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Western Michigan. He committed to Northwestern on June 7, 2011.^[4]

College career

Lowry ultimately elected to take the scholarship offer of Northwestern and played in all 13 games that year as a backup to future Minnesota Vikings defensive end Tyler Scott. During a game against Vanderbilt, he had one fumble recovery, one quarterback hurry, two solo tackles, and a pass deflection on the line of scrimmage.^[2] His efforts that year earned him ESPN.com Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.^[5]

Going in to his second season with the Wildcats, Lowry started nine games at defensive end. While making his first start against Syracuse, he had his first career interception. He missed the game against Nebraska to injury, however he did have his first career touchdown on an interception return against Maine. During a game against Ohio State, he had six tackles (5 solo) and recovered a fumble. He finished the year second on the team in tackles for loss with seven, and third on the team with 4.5 sacks.^[2]

Lowry started every game at defensive end in his junior season. During a game against Notre Dame, he recorded six tackles (1.5 for loss) and forced a fumble. During a game against Western Illinois, Lowry moved over to the defensive tackle spot and had four tackles, one sack, and two passes defensed. He was named the Defensive Player of the Game as a result of his performance. He was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team and an honorable mention by league coaches.^[6] He finished his junior year with 41 tackles with 8 for a loss, ranking second on the team.^[2]

In his final year with the team, Lowry set a single-game team record against Nebraska with six tackles for a loss, he also recorded two sacks in the game and was named the team's Defensive Player of the Game.^[7] He again picked up that honor in a game against the Duke Blue Devils where he had six tackles with half of one for a loss. He was named as a consensus pick to the second team All-Big Ten team.^[8]

Professional career

Lowry was predicted to be a seventh round pick or signed immediately as an undrafted free agent by Lance Zierlein. Zierlein cited that he had a good burst off the offensive line and kept his pads at the correct level. He also stated that he was built physically to be in a 3-4 defense and that he had a good work ethic and "team-first" mentality. However, he was concerned about his short arms and small hands that prevented him from winning on the line of scrimmage, and that he was not as active at finding the ball as he should be. He also mentioned that he did not excel at pass rushing. Overall, Zierlein believed that he would be drafted and most likely become a backup at the professional level.^[9]

Dane Bugler of CBS Sports commented that Lowry was "heavy-handed" and used his momentum and size to compete against blockers and that he played to the best of his ability on every play.^[10] He also cited concerns about his lack of explosiveness and pass-rush moves. He also believed he would be a backup in the NFL.^[9]

Lowry was selected in the fourth round (137 overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft with the second of two compensatory picks.^[11] Rob Demovsky, a staff writer for ESPN, commented that he was surprised that general manager Ted Thompson ignored the offense this far in the draft. He also mentioned that the Packers liked his athleticism. Eliot Wolf, president of the Green Bay Packers football operations, said in the regards to his pick that he believed Lowry was "an underrated athlete". On May 6, 2016, he signed a contract with the Packers.^[12]

References

External links

• Green Bay Packers bio
• Northwestern Wildcats bio