Carson Bruener
| No. 44 – Pittsburgh Steelers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | June 5, 2001 Woodinville, Washington, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 227 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Redmond (Redmond, Washington) |
| College: | Washington (2020–2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: 7th round, 226th pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Carson Bruener (born June 5, 2001) is an American professional football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and was selected by the Steelers in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Early life and high school
[edit]Bruener attended Redmond High School. He was rated as a three-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Washington Huskies.[1]
College career
[edit]In his first career game in week 3 of the 2021 season, Bruener made eight tackles and forced a fumble in a win over Arkansas State.[2] In week 9, he earned his first career start versus Stanford, where he finished with 16 tackles with one and a half being for a loss, a sack and a half, and a forced fumble en route to being named the Pac-12 Conference freshman of the week and the Pac-12 defensive player of the week.[3] In his first collegiate season in 2021, Bruener totaled 70 tackles with two and a half being for a loss, a sack and a half, two forced fumbles, and an interception.[4] In the 2022 season, he tallied 45 tackles with three and a half being for a loss, and a pass deflections.[5] In week 12 of the 2023 season, Bruener recorded 14 tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection in a win over Oregon State.[6] During the 2023 season, he notched 86 tackles with two and a half being for a loss, three pass deflections, an interception, and a forced fumble,[7] earning honorable mention all-Pac-12 accolades.[8]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+1⁄4 in (1.86 m) |
227 lb (103 kg) |
31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
4.58 s | 1.57 s | 2.68 s | 4.24 s | 6.77 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) |
9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[9][10] | ||||||||||||
Bruener was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 226th pick in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft.[11]
Personal life
[edit]Bruener is the son of former NFL first round pick and Steelers tight end Mark Bruener.[12][13]
References
[edit]- ^ Vorel, Mike (June 21, 2019). "Three-star 2020 linebacker, UW football legacy Carson Bruener verbally commits to Washington". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ Vorel, Mike (September 20, 2021). "'It's a Bruener thing': UW legacy linebacker Carson Bruener breaks out in victory over Arkansas State". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ Vorel, Mike (April 27, 2022). "Legacy linebacker Carson Bruener is determined to be part of the solution for Huskies". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ Vorel, Mike (September 28, 2022). "How hard-hitting Husky legacy Carson Bruener embraced his role as UW's special teams ace". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ "Carson Bruener 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ Vorel, Mike (November 21, 2023). "Notebook: After breaking out against Oregon State, what's next for Husky linebacker Carson Bruener?". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ "Carson Bruener 2023 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ Raley, Dan (March 20, 2024). "Underappreciated Bruener Draws Some Overdue Attention". Washington Huskies on SI. SI.com. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ "Carson Bruener Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
- ^ "Carson Bruener College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
- ^ Varley, Teresa. "Steelers select Bruener in seventh round". Steelers.com. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
- ^ Caple, Christian (November 4, 2021). "The man in the middle: Carson Bruener emerging as an unlikely star for Washington's defense". The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
- ^ Jude, Adam (January 6, 2024). "UW's Bruener family has chance to cement 'special' link with father-son championships". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 1, 2024.