Professional Biography
Spent the 2006 regular season diligently working on rehabilitation from a knee injury…
Is the only Iowa LB ever selected in the 1st round of the NFL Draft and only the 6th LB taken by the Vikings in the 1st round in team history…Joins fellow Vikings’ LB Ben Leber (Vermillion) and Colts’ K Adam Vinatieri (Rapid City) as the only current players in the NFL from South Dakota…Selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft and was the 3rd LB taken, behind only A.J. Hawk (5th-Green Bay), and Ernie Sims (9th-Detroit).
NFL History
• Bouned back from season-ending knee injury in 2006 preseason to start all 16 games in 2007 and ranked 2nd on the team with 130 tackles.
• Tied for the NFL lead with 4 fumble recoveries and led the Viking with 4 forced fumbles.
• Led the Vikings with 6 takeaways in 2007- 4 FRs and 2 INTs.
• Helped the Vikings tie a team record with 6 TDs on INT returns during the 2007 season, matching the mark set by the 1992 Vikings.
• Posted season-high 10 solo tackles and had 13 total tackles @ San Francisco (12/9).
• Scored 1st NFL TD on a 37-yard INT return TD @ NY Giants (11/25).
• Was part of a Vikings record-setting day as the club had 3 INT-return TDs, joining teammate Darren Sharper and Dwight Smith as the team picked Giants QB Eli Manning 4 times on the day.
• The Vikings 3 TDs on INT returns @ NY Giants (11/25) ranks tied for the 2nd-most in NFL history.
• Had a pair of takeaways in game vs. Oakland (11/18) with a fumble recovery and an interception of former Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper. Recovered a Culpepper fumble after a sack by Brian Robison.
• His 4 FRs ranks tied for the 7th-most in a season in Vikings history, chasing the team record of 9 held by Don Hultz in 1963.
College Information
Two-time All-Big 10 selection who finished his career ranked 5th in school history with 416 tackles…Started 38 of the 45 games he played in and recorded 10+ tackles in a game 25 times…Helped Iowa to Outback Bowls after sophomore and senior seasons against Florida and Capital One Bowl against LSU as a junior…Earned 1st-team All-America honors from Pro Football Weekly and 2nd-team honors from The NFL Draft Report and CNNSI.com as a senior…Iowa’s Co-MVP and won the Hayden Fry “Extra Heartbeat” Award as a senior…His 156 tackles as a senior in ’05 rank 3rd in school history…Named 1st-team All-America by Pro Football Weekly and earned 2nd-team All-America honors from CNNSI.com as a junior…Earned 2nd-team All-Big 10 honors as a sophomore…Played in 8 games as a redshirt freshman in 2002…Redshirted as a true freshman in 2001.
2005 Earned 1st-team All-America honors from Pro Football Weekly and added 2nd-team honors from The NFL Draft Report and CNNSI.com…Team’s Co-MVP and won the Hayden Fry “Extra Heartbeat” Award...Named 1st-team Big 10 by the conference’s coaches and media…Semi-finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Defensive Player of the Year Award and semi-finalist for Butkus Award…Ranked 4th in the nation with an average of 13.0 tackles per game and was 2nd on the team with a career-high 156 tackles, the 3rd-best season in school history…Posted 10 games of double-digit tackles on the season…Named Big Ten Conference Player of the Week after he posted a career-high 20 tackles vs. Northern Iowa…Recorded 14 tackles at Ohio State…Tied his career-high with 20 tackles at Illinois and also posted 2.0 sacks and a pass defensed…Recorded 14 tackles and 3 tackles for loss vs. Indiana…Registered 16 tackles vs. Michigan and added a tackle for loss...Posted 12 tackles and a tackle for loss at Wisconsin…Made 15 tackles vs. Minnesota as the Hawkeyes held the top rushing team in the nation to 129 net rushing yards…Added an interception and a 16-yard return to set up an Iowa score against the Gophers…Posted 9 tackles and 2 passes defensed in Outback Bowl vs. Florida.
2004 Named 1st-Team All-American by Pro Football Weekly and was a 1st-team All-Big Ten choice…Earned 2nd-team All-American honors from CNNSI.com and was named team’s Special Teams Player of the Year…Started in all 12 games…Ranked 2nd on the team and 7th in the Big Ten with 113 tackles and tied for 9th in the conference with 3 interceptions…Had seven 10+ tackle games on the season…Named national Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in season opener vs. Kent State…Led team with 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and recorded first 2 interceptions of his career…Returned the second pick 30 yards for his 1st career TD in the fourth quarter…Also blocked a Kent State field goal that led to an Iowa FG…Posted 10 tackles and a tackle for loss in win vs. Iowa State as the Hawkeyes held ISU to 66 rushing yards…Registered a career-high 2.0 sacks at Michigan and led team with 10 tackles…Recorded 11 tackles at Penn State as the defense allowed no offensive points by the Nittany Lions and held them to 147 yards of total offense…Posted 8 tackles and his 3rd INT of the season in win at Minnesota…Had 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a sack in win vs. Wisconsin to clinch share of Big Ten title…Recorded 9 tackles and a tackle for loss in Capital One Bowl win over LSU.
2003 Started all 13 games and earned 2nd-team All-Big Ten honors…Finished 3rd in the Big Ten in tackles per game (10.2) as he finished with 132 tackles on the season…Led team with 13 tackles in season opener against Miami (OH) as they held them to 54 yards rushing and without a TD for the first time since 1993…Posted 17 tackles in win at Iowa State…Recorded 17 tackles win vs. Arizona State to earn Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors…Had 10 tackles and 3 tackles for loss at Ohio State…Led team with 11 tackles vs. Penn State and added 2 tackles for loss and a QB sack…Recorded 1st blocked punt of his career in the 3rd quarter against the Nittany Lions, which resulted in an Iowa touchdown…Posted 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack vs. Minnesota…Registered 11 tackles and a tackle for loss at Wisconsin…Recorded 4 tackles in Outback Bowl win over Florida.
2002 Played in 8 games as a redshirt freshman
Personal Biography
• Married to Jenny, a former Iowa cross country runner, the couple had a daughter in 2007 training camp.
• Grew up on a family crop and hog farm in tiny Mt. Vernon, SD.
Article courtesy of Vikings.com
