Everson Griffen life and biography

Everson Griffen is an American football defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.

• The 1st USC player drafted by the Vikings since DE Kenechi Udeze was taken #20 overall in 2004.
• Attended same high school, Agua Fria in Avondale, AZ, as Vikings Hall of Famer Randall McDaniel.

OFF THE FIELD

Majored in sociology at USC...Enjoys being on the water in his free time, with boating, wave runners and water skiing among his favorite activities...Enjoys fishing...Looked up to Vikings legend Randall McDaniel as a young athlete.

PRO

Selected with the 2nd pick in the 4th round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the 100th player selected overall...Was the 3rd player of 8 selected by the Vikings in 2010 and the only defensive lineman of the group...Was the 4th of 7 players drafted from USC and the only Trojan defensive lineman...Declared for the draft after his junior season...Played under USC head coach Pete Carroll in his final season before going to Seattle.

COLLEGE

Helped USC win or tie for PAC 10 titles in 2007 and 2008...Trojans won Rose Bowl as a freshman and sophomore, topping Illinois as a freshman and Penn State as a sophomore...USC won Emerald Bowl over Boston College as a junior...Earned 2nd-Team All-Pac 10 honors as a junior...Part of a Trojan defense in 2008 that posted back-to-back shutouts against Arizona State (28-0) and Washington State (69-0), the 1st time with consecutive shutouts since 1971 for USC...Burst onto the scene as a true freshman with the Trojans, starting 2 games and playing in all 13...Started 2007 opener vs. Idaho as a true freshman, becoming the 1st USC true freshman to start an opener since Tim Ryan in 1986 and the 1st true freshman to start a game along the defensive line since Shaun Cody in 2001...Notched career-high 3.5 sacks vs. Oregon State as a true freshman...Had season-best 3.0 sacks at Notre Dame as a junior in 2009...Posted 8.0 sacks as a junior and had a streak of 6 straight games with a sack, highlighted by 3.0 against Notre Dame and 2.0 vs. Oregon State in back-to-back games...Notched 4.5 sacks as a sophomore and had 5.5 sacks as a true freshman...Posted 1st career sack vs. Arizona in 2007...Had career-high 7 tackles against Oregon as a junior and notched 6 tackles at Ohio State in 2007...Had a pair of 6-tackle games against Oregon State and at Arizona State as a true freshman.

Attended Agua Fria High in Avondale, AZ...Named Super Prep and Scout.com Player of the Year...Consensus All-America...Gatorade Circle of Champions Player of the Year for Arizona...Had 16.0 sacks on defense and ran for 1,251 yards and 20 TDs on offense as a senior...Earned 1st-Team All-Region in basketball...Competed in track and field as a shot putter...Played AAU hoops throughout high school.

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