He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions.

[1][2][3] He attended Clay High School in Green Cove Springs, Florida, where he was a four-sport star in football, track and field, weightlifting, and basketball.

Avril then attended Purdue University, where he started 12 games at strong-side linebacker and 23 at left defensive end.

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 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.

In the 2013 season, he was credited for his contribution to the Seahawks' dominant victory in Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos.

[14] He set a Super Bowl record by scoring only twelve seconds into the game with a safety 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 Super Bowl XLIX, Avril recorded 2 tackles, but left in the third quarter with a concussion and did not return.

[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.