Zachary Jonathan Pagett Sudfeld[1] (born April 17, 1989) is a former American football tight end. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He played college football at Nevada.
![]() Sudfeld celebrating a touchdown in 2016 NFL Preseason. | |||||||
No. 44, 82 | |||||||
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Position: | Tight end | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | (1989-04-17) April 17, 1989 (age 33) Santa Cruz, California | ||||||
Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Modesto Christian School (Salida, California) | ||||||
College: | Nevada | ||||||
Undrafted: | 2013 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com | |||||||
Sudfeld attended Modesto Christian High School in Modesto, California.[2] Sudfeld was named to the first-team all-state as a tight end.[2] He also earned the first-team all-district and all-league honors in high school.[2] His younger brother, Nate, is a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.[3]
On May 3, 2013, Sudfeld signed with the New England Patriots. Sudfeld's size and catching ability led at least one Patriots reporter to call Sudfeld a "baby Gronk,"[4] referring to New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. During the Patriots' second preseason game, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sudfeld scored on a two-point conversion from Tom Brady and on a 22-yard touchdown from Ryan Mallett. On October 3, 2013, Sudfeld was released from the Patriots, after lackluster performances, where Sudfeld made no receptions.[5]
Sudfeld was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets on October 4, 2013.[6] He caught 5 passes for 63 yards on the season. Sudfeld suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in minicamp and was waived on June 15, 2015.[7] He cleared waivers a day later and was placed on the injured reserve list.[8] On September 3, 2016, Sudfeld was released by the Jets as part of final roster cuts.[9]
Sudfeld has a twin brother named Matt, who is director of strategic development of a humanitarian organization that was started by his grandparents.[10] He also has two sisters, Juliana who played volleyball for Wheaton College in Illinois.[11] His other sister, Sarah played basketball for The King's College in New York City.[12] His Younger brother Nate, is a quarterback for the Detroit Lions.[13]