Who is Cliff Avril?

The 2009 NFL draft ink is barely dry, and they are already making comments. But it is far-fetched to draw too many conclusions this quickly.

It will still take a while to see just how good Wonder’s Draft Analysis was for 2008. But some early returns are in, so we will cherry-pick…

One player touted in EIGHT POSTS was Cliff Avril. Wonder wanted the Giants to take him at the end of Round 2 (one of four players that were acceptable) and he went out of his way to remind everyone how well the Lions did by getting the LB/DE. IN APRIL 2008. Fast forward to June 2009:

Defensively, Lions pass rusher Cliff Avril tied for the rookie lead in sacks (five) and led all first-year players with four forced fumbles, but was only a third-round pick. The two defensive linemen who tied Avril with five sacks were drafted in the second (Tennessee’s Jason Jones) and sixth rounds (Oakland’s Trevor Scott).