Pierre Strong Jr.
Current teamGreen Bay Packers
Number22
PositionRunning back
Birth dateDecember 10, 1998 (age 27)
Birth placeLittle Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Height5 ft
Height in11
Weight lb207
High schoolJohn L. McClellan
CollegeSouth Dakota State (2017–2021)
Draftyear2022
Draftround4
Draftpick127
Pastteams
StatusActive
Highlights
  • First-team FCS All-American (2021)
  • 3× First-team All-MVFC (2019–2021)
  • MVFC Freshman of the Year (2018)
Statseason2025
Statlabel 1Rushing yards
Statvalue 1499
Statlabel 2Rushing average
Statvalue 25.0
Statlabel 3Rushing touchdowns
Statvalue 32
Statlabel 4Receptions
Statvalue 426
Statlabel 5Receiving yards
Statvalue 5193
Statlabel 6Return yards
Statvalue 6570
PfrStroPi00

Pierre Strong Jr. (born December 10, 1998) is an American professional football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.

Early life

Strong grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and graduated from John L. McClellan High School.[1] As a junior, he rushed 2,248 yards and 30 touchdowns as McClellan advanced to the Class 5A state championship game. Despite his season ending injury that occurred at Little Rock McClellan's final drive of the 2016 regular game against Pulaski Academy, Strong rushed 1,423 total yards and scored 25 touchdowns during his senior year.[2] Overall, Strong had totaled 4,268 rushing yards and scored 57 touchdowns over his final two seasons in McClellan. He was named a Landers Award finalist in his senior year due to his accomplishments.[3]

Despite being offered football scholarships from very few NCAA Division I schools, Strong was ultimately offered a scholarship and recruitment by South Dakota State University as he made a verbal commitment in January 2017.[4]

College career

Strong redshirted his true freshman season.[5] As a redshirt freshman, he rushed for 1,116 yards and 11 touchdowns and was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) Freshman of the Year.[6][7] Strong gained 1,018 yards and scored eight touchdowns on 143 carries during his redshirt sophomore season and was named first-team All-MVFC.[8] As a redshirt junior, he rushed for 707 yards in the spring 2021 season, which was delayed from the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] As a redshirt senior, Strong rushed for 1,686 yards and 18 touchdowns, caught 22 passes for 150 yards, and also completed 4-of-4 pass attempts for 62 yards and four touchdowns.[10]

Professional career

New England Patriots

Strong was selected by the New England Patriots with the 127th pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft.[11] On December 12, 2022, Strong scored a three–yard rushing touchdown for his first career touchdown in a 27–13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.[12] Strong finished his rookie season with ten carries for 100 yards and one rushing touchdown.[13]

Cleveland Browns

On August 27, 2023, Strong was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Tyrone Wheatley Jr.[14][15] He appeared in all 17 games for Cleveland (including one start), recording 63 rush attempts for 291 yards and one touchdown. In 2024, Strong logged 26 carries for 108 scoreless yards across 14 appearances.

On August 26, 2025, Strong was waived by the Browns with an injury designation as part of final roster cuts.[16]

Green Bay Packers

On September 8, 2025, Strong was signed to the Green Bay Packers' practice squad.[17] He was elevated to the active roster for Weeks 7 and 15.[18][19] Strong signed a reserve/future contract with Green Bay on January 12, 2026.[20]

References

  1. ^ Davenport, Richard (February 18, 2016). "2017 Spotlight: Little Rock McClellan athlete Pierre Strong". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Muck, Jeremy (November 3, 2016). "McClellan loses top RB Strong". The Northwest Arkansas Times. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  3. ^ Deckelbaum, Kyle (April 30, 2022). "From McClellan to the NFL: Patriots draft Pierre Strong, Jr.". KATV.com. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  4. ^ "Pierre Strong, 2017 Running Back - Rivals.com". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Zimmer, Matt (November 14, 2018). "Pierre Strong emerging as South Dakota State's newest offensive weapon". Argus Leader. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Holtan, Andrew (August 27, 2019). "Strong Jr. leads three-headed SDSU running attack". The Brookings Register. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  7. ^ Harkness, Jeff (December 17, 2018). "South Dakota's Darin Greenfield, South Dakota State's Pierre Strong Jr., Krockett Krolikowski Named to Post Season Honor Squads". ESPNSiouxFalls.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Ovenden, Mark (February 9, 2021). "SDSU's Pierre Strong is pre-season FCS All-American". DakotaNewsNow.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Izzo, Dom (July 26, 2021). "Bison Top Opponents in 2021; South Dakota State's Pierre Strong". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Zimmer, Matt (January 12, 2022). "South Dakota State football's Pierre Strong invited to NFL Combine". Argus Leader. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  11. ^ Buchmasser, Bernd (April 30, 2022). "Patriots draft South Dakota State RB Pierre Strong in the fourth round". Pats Pulpit. SB Nation. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  12. ^ Zimmer, Matt (2022-12-13). "Pierre Strong has breakout game for Patriots on Monday Night Football". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  13. ^ "Pierre Strong 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  14. ^ "Browns agree to terms on trade to acquire RB Pierre Strong Jr. from Patriots". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 27, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  15. ^ "Patriots Acquire OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr. in a Trade with Cleveland in Exchange for RB Pierre Strong Jr.". Patriots.com. August 27, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  16. ^ "Browns announce initial 53-man roster heading into 2025 season". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 26, 2025.
  17. ^ "Packers announce roster moves". Packers.com. September 8, 2025.
  18. ^ "Packers announce roster moves and injury update". Packers.com. October 18, 2025.
  19. ^ "Packers announce roster move and injury update". Packers.com. December 13, 2025.
  20. ^ "Packers announce reserve/future signings | Jan. 12, 2026". Packers.com. January 12, 2026.