 Avril with theSeattle Seahawks in 2014 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 56, 92 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1986-04-08)April 8, 1986 (age 39) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Clay(Green Cove Springs, Florida) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Purdue (2004–2007) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2008: 3rd round, 92nd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Clifford Samuel Avril (born April 8, 1986) is an American former professionalfootball player who was adefensive end in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for thePurdue Boilermakers and was selected in the third round of the2008 NFL draft by theDetroit Lions. He also played for theSeattle Seahawks, with whom he wonSuper Bowl XLVIII and made aPro Bowl.
Avril was born inJacksonville, Florida, toHaitian parents.[1][2][3] He attendedClay High School inGreen Cove Springs, Florida, where he was a four-sport star in football, track and field, weightlifting, and basketball. Avril was an All State player in basketball and football. He was an All-conference selection his junior year. As a senior in 2004, he was a second-team All-state selection and was named toThe Florida Times-Union Super 24 team after recording 80tackles, including 11 for loss and ninesacks, with four pass breakups, leading his team to an 11–2 record.[4]
He also excelled intrack & field during his junior and senior seasons. He captured a regionalshot put title at the 2004 FHSAA 2A Region 2, recording a career-best throw of 15.91 meters (52 ft, 2.5 in).[5] He earned a third-place finish in the shot put at the outdoor state finals.[6] In addition, he also had a 335-pound maxbench press and posted a 4.6-second40-yard dash time.
Avril then attendedPurdue University, where he started 12 games at strong-sidelinebacker and 23 at left defensive end. After converting to defensive end in his final two seasons at Purdue, he recorded 30 of his 35.5 tackles-for-losses and 12.5 of his 13 sacks from the left end position.
In 2004, he appeared in all 12 games, including four starts made 36 tackles (23 solo, 13 assists), including 3.0 for loss and 0.5 sacks, with one pass breakup and one forced fumble. In 2005, he appeared in 10 games, including four starts and had 33 tackles (21 solo, 12 assists), including 2.5 for loss. In 2006, he started all 14 games, the first four at linebacker and last 10 at defensive end and recorded 84 tackles (51 solo, 33 assists) 15.0 tackles-for-loss, six sacks and six pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and oneinterception.
| 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 | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+7⁄8 in (1.90 m) | 252 lb (114 kg) | 34+5⁄8 in (0.88 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.51 s | 1.51 s | 2.58 s | 4.51 s | 6.90 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) | 27 reps | 17 |
| All values fromNFL Combine[7][8][9] | ||||||||||||
Avril was selected in thethird round (92nd overall) of the2008 NFL draft by theDetroit Lions.[10] He signed a three-year, $1.634 million contract. In2008, he recorded 23 tackles and five sacks. He was named to theSporting News All-Rookie team. 2009 saw even better tackle statistics for Avril. He recorded 18 more tackles in 2009 than he did his rookie year in 2008. But his pass rushing ability stats did not improve much over his rookie year, as he recorded just a half sack more (5.5) in 2009.
In 2010, Avril posted the best stats of his career with 33 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Not to be outdone by this, Avril played in all 16 games for the first time in 2011. He had 36 tackles, and a team-high 11 sacks. Avril had more forced fumbles than any otherdefensive end with 6. He also had 3 fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown) to go along with an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Many sportswriters felt that he was worthy of thePro Bowl, butJared Allen,Jason Pierre-Paul, andJason Babin were selected instead to the NFC roster.
On March 5, 2012, the Lions placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Avril, keeping him in Detroit for the 2012 season.[11] On August 5, Avril signed his tender, which was worth $10.6 million.[12] Prior to the franchise tag, Avril rejected a 3-year, $30 million contract offered by the Lions. In 2012, Avril had 9.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass defensed, which Lions management considered a decline in performance from the previous year.[13]
On March 13, 2013, Avril signed a two-year, $13 million contract with theSeattle Seahawks. In the 2013 season, he was credited for his contribution to the Seahawks' dominant victory inSuper Bowl XLVIII over theDenver Broncos.[14] He set a Super Bowl record by scoring only twelve seconds into the game with asafety stemming from a botched opening snap by the Broncos, and he later forced an interception that led to a touchdown.[14] Following the Seahawks' victory, Avril became the first player in NFL history to win a Super Bowl after having been on a winless team (his rookie year on the Lions in 2008).
In the 2014 season, after recording just 2 sacks over the first 10 games, Avril would register 3 in the last 6 games, coinciding with a 6-game winning streak during which the Seahawks defense allowed a total of 39 points. On December 19, 2014, Avril signed a 4-year extension with the Seahawks worth $28.5 million.[15] Avril would also register a sack in the divisional round playoff game against theCarolina Panthers and NFC Championship game against theGreen Bay Packers, both Seahawk victories. InSuper Bowl XLIX, Avril recorded 2 tackles, but left in the third quarter with a concussion and did not return. The Seahawks failed to repeat as Super Bowl champions as they lost 28–24 to theNew England Patriots.
In the 2015 season, Avril was evaluated byPro Football Focus as the fifth best edge defender in the league at the halfway point of the season. Through those eight games, Avril recorded 30 tackles (20 solo), 3.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 5 pass deflections, and 5 tackles for loss.[16]
In the 2016 season, Avril was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October. He was also named to his firstPro Bowl, and was ranked 56th by his peers on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[17][18]
In Week 4 of the 2017 season, Avril suffered a serious neck injury in the first quarter of Seattle's 46–18 win over the Indianapolis Colts. He was inadvertently kicked in his chin against the Colts and had been experiencing numbness in his arms.[19] Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll commented on the injury saying Avril will be out "a while".[20] He was placed on injured reserve on October 20, 2017.[21]
On May 4, 2018, the Seahawks released Avril with a failed physical designation.[22]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | Other | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comb | Solo | Ast | Sack | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | Stf | Yds | KB | |||
| 2008 | DET | 15 | 23 | 18 | 5 | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 2009 | DET | 13 | 41 | 27 | 14 | 5.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 2010 | DET | 13 | 33 | 23 | 10 | 8.5 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| 2011 | DET | 16 | 36 | 29 | 7 | 11.0 | 6 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 2012 | DET | 16 | 35 | 28 | 7 | 9.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 40 | 0 |
| 2013 | SEA | 15 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 8.0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | SEA | 16 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 5.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
| 2015 | SEA | 16 | 47 | 31 | 16 | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 0 |
| 2016 | SEA | 16 | 39 | 20 | 19 | 11.5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 2017 | SEA | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 140 | 298 | 207 | 91 | 74.0 | 30 | 7 | 44 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 29 | 27 | 97 | 0 | |
Avril was a guest inGermany during the NFL Trophy Tour 2018, including inHamburg andCologne.
