DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions signed third-round draft selection Cliff Avril to a three-year contract Monday.
Terms of the contract were not released.
The 6-foot-4, 252 pound Avril was the 92nd overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played defensive end his last two seasons at Purdue University, mostly at left end. Earlier in his career he played strong-side linebacker.
While at Purdue, Avril registered 13 sacks and 35.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. In 40 career games, he started 35 times with 23 at left defensive end and 12 at strong-side linebacker earlier in his career.
In 2007, he led the Boilermakers with 6.5 sacks. He also notched 15 tackles behind the line of scrimmage along with four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and five pass defenses and returned an interception for a touchdown.
Information from the Associated Press was included in this report