Introduction
Dan Michael Vitale III (born October 26, 1993) is an American football fullback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Northwestern and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 ⁄8 in (1.85 m) |
239 lb (108 kg) |
31 ⁄4 in (0.81 m) |
9 ⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
4.60 s | 4.12 s | 7.12 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) |
10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) |
30 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Vitale was selected by the Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft with the 197th overall pick. He was released by the Buccaneers as part of final roster cuts on September 3, 2016, and was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills the next day, but failed his physical examination, voiding the contract. On September 10, 2016, he re-joined the Buccaneers as a member of their practice squad.
Cleveland Browns
Vitale was signed off the Buccaneers' practice squad by the Cleveland Browns on October 14, 2016.
On September 1, 2018, Vitale suffered a calf injury and was placed on injured reserve. He was released on October 12, 2018.
Green Bay Packers
Vitale was signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad on October 22, 2018. He was promoted to the active roster on December 1, 2018. He appeared in five games in the 2018 season.
In the 2019 season, Vitale saw some increased usage in the receiving game with seven receptions for 97 yards. He started in four of the 15 games he appeared in.
New England Patriots
On March 21, 2020, Vitale signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FUM | Lost | ||||
| 2016 | CLE | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 6.8 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | CLE | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | GB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | GB | 15 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 97 | 13.9 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 44 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 145 | 9.7 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |