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LB ABDUL HODGE #52 6' 0" • 229 lbs. • Iowa Exp: 3rd NFL Season, 3rd Packers Season Age: 25 Acquired: Draft 2006 (3a) Current Status: Active Roster   Started one game as a rookie, a Monday Night contest at Seattle for Nick Barnett (broken hand), and recorded 12 tackles as well as a fumble return for his first NFL TD Quickly became a fan favorite in his first training camp for his bone-jarring hits on running backs and his physical style After rookie season, changed his number to his college 52 Labeled as undersized, earned All-Big Ten honors for three straight seasons (2003-05) in arguably the nation's most physical conference; led the league in total tackles per game both in 2003 and '05 Played in all 50 games at Iowa, starting the last 37 in consecutive fashion Also competed in four bowl games, setting Capital One Bowl tackles record as a junior and Outback Bowl tackles record as a senior A National Honor Society member in high school, became an All-American linebacker after competing in Florida's highest classification Brother, Elijah, is a junior linebacker at the University of Wisconsin in Madison Makes his offseason home in Florida and remains close to his daughter during the season, despite great distance Pro Summary The first of two third-round draft choices in 2006, got off to a great start in training camp but battled nagging injuries much of his rookie season and hopes to be fully healthy in his second campaign Has the instincts, smarts and hard-hitting ability the Packers are looking for and is the perfect fit as a middle linebacker Started one game in 2006 in place of Nick Barnett (broken hand), scored his first NFL touchdown on a fumble return and recorded 12 tackles, giving fans a glimpse of the nose for the ball he had in college Knee and shoulder injuries limited his playing time otherwise, though he did contribute occasionally on special teams Is viewed as a future starter at middle linebacker, depending on the team's long-term plans for Barnett Has continued to shirk the label of being undersized by continuing the bruising, physical style he played with in college against sizable Big Ten offensive linemen Wowed fans during training camp and in the Family Night Scrimmage with bone-rattling hits on running backs Drafted 67th overall and the ninth linebacker taken, concluded his Iowa career third in school history with 453 career tackles Finished with two of the top four single-season tackle totals in Iowa's rich football history (158 in 2005, second; 141 in 2003, fourth) Posted double-digit tackles in 21 career games Played in four bowl games, entering the record book in the final two contests Set the Capital One Bowl record with 16 tackles to close his junior year and established the Outback Bowl record with 19 stops as a senior Garnered three straight first-team all-conference selections and proved to be durable, playing in all 50 games during his college eligibility and starting the last 37 A cerebral presence, served as Iowa's defensive quarterback, making all the calls Highly regarded by both his coaches and teammates, including his good friend and Viking LB Chad Greenway, served on head coach Kirk Ferentz's 'Leadership Council' for three years, including his sophomore campaign Thrown into the starting lineup that year, in 2003, he landed first-team All-Big Ten honors by leading the conference in tackles per game Emerged as a prep All-American from the football hotbed of Florida, competing in the state's highest classification Still makes his offseason home in Florida and, despite great distance, remains very involved in his daughter's life 2006 Season Rookie third-round draft pick played in eight games, with one start, and was inactive for the other eight, battling a pair of injuries over the course of the season Saw action in 102 plays from scrimmage and finished with 12 tackles (three solo), a pair of passes defensed and one memorable fumble recovery, which he returned for his first NFL touchdown Played on defense in seven games Also contributed three special teams tackles Became a fan-favorite during training camp due to his aggressive style and physical reputation Made his NFL debut in season opener vs. Chicago (Sept. 10), playing on special teams Saw his first career action on defense, vs. New Orleans (Sept. 17), playing one snap at 'Mike' linebacker Also played from scrimmage at Philadelphia (Oct. 2) and made one special teams tackle, but injured his knee and was inactive the next five games Came back to practice on Nov. 1, and returned to game action vs. New England (Nov. 19), playing mostly on special teams, with three snaps on defense Made his first professional start on a Monday night at Seattle (Nov. 27), replacing an inactive Barnett (hand) at 'Mike' linebacker In Seahawks contest, recorded all 12 of his 2006 tackles (three solo), broke up two passes and, in the second quarter, alertly recovered in mid-air a Matt Hasselbeck fumble forced by Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and returned it for a 29-yard TD to give Green Bay a 14-9 lead Had limited snaps from scrimmage vs. the New York Jets (Dec. 3) and at San Francisco (Dec. 10), then was listed as inactive vs. Detroit (Dec. 17) and missed the last two games, vs. Minnesota (Dec. 21) and at Chicago (Dec. 31), with a shoulder injury College Concluded his Iowa career third in school history with 453 career tackles Finished with two of the top four single-season tackle totals in Iowa's rich football history (158 in 2005, second; 141 in 2003, fourth) Posted double-digit tackles in 21 career games As a senior in 2005, the Big Ten's leader in total tackles (13.2 stops per game) and the nation's third-ranked player in both total tackles (13.2) and solo stops (8.0), helped to lead Iowa to a berth in the Outback Bowl His team-leading and career-best 158 total tackles in 2005 ranked second on Iowa's all-time single-season list In his final collegiate game, recorded 19 tackles to set Outback Bowl record in losing cause vs. Florida (Jan. 2) Voted second-team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media; also earned honorable mention All-America honors from SI.com and finished as a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy, given to the nation's most outstanding defensive player (his eventual neighbor in the Packers' locker room, A.J. Hawk, won the award) A permanent team captain, shared squad MVP honors with fellow linebacker Greenway (drafted by the Minnesota Vikings) and received the Hayden Fry 'Extra Heartbeat' award Started all 12 games, including the bowl contest, at middle linebacker Earned co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors after collecting 18 tackles (11 solo) in win vs. Illinois (Oct. 1); also had three stops for loss and forced a fumble in Illini contest Recorded a career-best 20 stops (14 solo) in 23-20 overtime loss vs. Michigan (Oct. 22) Collected two tackles for loss, helping to defeat his brother's team, at Wisconsin (Nov. 12) Racked up 19 tackles (13 solo) in regular-season finale vs. Minnesota (Nov. 19), helping Hawkeyes hold nation's leading rushing offense to just 129 net yards on the ground Captured Iowa and Outback Bowl records with 19 tackles (14 solo) in 31-24 loss to Florida (Jan. 2) A first-team All-Big Ten selection as a junior, started all 12 games at linebacker Totaled 116 stops (79 solo), 4½ tackles for loss, three sacks, four pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble Ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 9.7 tackles per game Ranked ninth in the nation in solo tackles (79) In 17-10 win vs. Iowa State (Sept. 11), led team with 12 tackles (eight solo), including a key assist that halted ISU's final drive on fourth down in closing minutes Led Iowa with 12 tackles (nine solo) as team held Buckeyes to just 177 yards of total offense in 33-7 win vs. Ohio State (Oct. 16) Posted 11 stops (seven solo) in classic 6-4 win at Penn State (Oct. 23), holding Nittany Lions to 147 yards of total offense and no offensive points Paced Iowa with 11 tackles (seven solo), holding Badgers to 186 yards of total offense in 30-7 win vs. Wisconsin that clinched share of Big Ten title Closed junior year with Capital One Bowl record 16 tackles, helping Iowa to be in position to win 30-25 contest over defending national champion LSU (Jan. 1) A first-team All-Big Ten choice as a sophomore, led the conference with 10.8 tackles per game Started all 13 contests at middle linebacker In first career start (Aug. 30), a 21-3 triumph over Miami (Ohio), recorded seven tackles (five solo), as Iowa allowed just 54 rushing yards Instrumental in 40-21 win at Iowa State (Sept. 13), had 15 tackles (10 solo), three for loss, one sack and forced a fumble that led to Iowa's first touchdown Notched 16 stops (eight solo), with two for loss, in 19-10 triumph at Ohio State (Oct. 18); forced a fumble at the Iowa 1-yard line to halt a Buckeyes threat in the second quarter In 26-14 win vs. Penn State (Oct. 25), returned a fumble 47 yards to set up Iowa's first score Had eight tackles (four solo) in Outback Bowl win over Florida (Jan. 1) Saw action in all 13 games as redshirt freshman, primarily on special teams, but did record 38 tackles (28 solo), one for loss and one sack Had six tackles (three solo) in collegiate debut, vs. Akron (Aug. 31) Racked up season-high eight stops (six solo) in 31-28 win vs. Purdue (Oct. 5) With five tackles (all solo), helped Iowa hold Wolverines to 22 yards rushing and 171 yards total offense in 34-9 triumph at Michigan (Oct. 26) Registered his first career sack, among five tackles (all solo), in 62-10 win vs. Northwestern (Nov. 9) In his first of four straight bowl games, collected six tackles (four solo), in FedEx Orange Bowl vs. Southern Cal (Jan. 2) Personal Given name Abdul Raheeda Hodge Born in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Married to Chabli Has a daughter, Amari, 6 Nicknamed 'Hitman' by his youth football coaches for his ability to deliver hits on kids much larger than him at a young age Third-youngest in a family of four brothers, has a younger brother, Elijah, who is a junior linebacker at the University of Wisconsin A SuperPrep All-American as a high school senior, earned first-team all-state recognition in Florida's largest classification, 6A, at Boyd Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. Led the team to the state semifinals and a 9-3 record to close his distinguished prep career Helped school to 22-10 record during his last three years Registered 308 career tackles, 22 sacks and six interceptions Also had eight fumble recoveries and two touchdowns following fumble recoveries A three-year starter and three-year varsity captain, played linebacker almost exclusively, lining up at both the inside and outside positions Received Broward County Defensive MVP honors for his senior-year efforts As a junior, garnered first-team all-county and third-team all-state recognition Additionally lettered two years in track, running the 400 meters and 4x400 relay, and one year in basketball, playing power forward Was a member of the National Honor Society in high school Got heavily involved in community and charity events in his first NFL season Volunteered at the NEW Community Shelter, helping to assemble a storage shed, hand out bicycles and serve dinner to the residents Spoke to cadets at the Wisconsin National Guard Challenge Academy about smart life choices and encouraging them to graduate Visited elementary schools in the Milwaukee and Fond du Lac areas to read and visit with students Played bingo with residents at a Milwaukee elderly care facility, and played games and ate dinner with patients at the annual Families of Children with Cancer Christmas Party While in college at Iowa, gave time to the Ronald McDonald House and food drives in conjunction with the football team Spends his free time with his daughter and playing video games (PlayStation 2, Xbox) Moved with his family at age 7 from the Virgin Islands to Atlanta, and eventually to the Miami area, due to his father's work Has thought about entering the real estate business in his home state of Florida Holds B.A. degree in communication, having graduated from Iowa in December 2005 Residence: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Player Stats Back To Top Tackles Sacks Interceptions Fumbles Year GP GS Tot Solo Asst Sk Yds No Yds Lg TD PD FF FR Yds 2006 Green Bay 8 1 12 3 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 29 Additional statistics: Special teams tackles - 3 in 2006. SINGLE-GAME CAREER HIGHS Tackles Total: 12, at Sea. (11/27/06) Solo: 3, at Sea. (11/27/06) NFL debut: vs. Chicago, 9/10/06 First NFL start: at Seattle, 11/27/06 Touchdown: at Seattle, 11/27/06, 29-yard fumble return CAREER TRANSACTIONS 2006: Selected by Green Bay Packers as first of two choices in third round (67th overall) of '06 NFL Draft, April 29...Signed first contract, July 28. CURRENT CONTRACT EXPIRATION: After 2009