Elvis Dumervil

Elvis Kool Dumervil (born January 19, 1984) is an American football outside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Louisville and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, and has been selected for the Pro Bowl three times.

Dumervil was born in Miami, Florida. His parents were Haitian immigrants^[1] to Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood. Separated when Dumervil was 3, they raised a total of 10 children.^[2] He attended Miami Jackson High School, and played for the Jackson Generals high school football team. Rated among the top 25 defensive ends by most football recruiting publications, Dumervil had a Jackson High record 78 career sacks.

Dumervil attended the University of Louisville, where he played for coach Bobby Petrino's Louisville Cardinals football team from 2002 to 2005. His college career began slowly as a modest contributor during his first two seasons at Louisville; he tallied just 28 tackles and two sacks. The Cardinal coaching staff had planned on redshirting him during the 2002 season, but injuries to other players and a lackluster performance by the defensive line forced him into the rotation.

He emerged during the 2004 season as a junior, recording 10 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. His 2005 season was one of the best for a defensive end in both NCAA and school history, when he broke the NCAA single-game sack record (6) in a game against the rival Kentucky Wildcats, and broke the NCAA record for forced fumbles. His sack total also broke the Big East record set by Dwight Freeney, who was a player that Elvis desired to emulate. He won several awards for the 2005 season, including the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Ted Hendricks Award, and Big East player of the year, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.

In the 2006 Gator Bowl, Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick intentionally stomped on the back of Dumervil's leg after a whistle. While no penalty was called, the backlash from this play (in combination with a misdemeanor charge for driving with a suspended license) led to Vick's permanent dismissal from the Virginia Tech football team. Vick claimed that he had apologized to Dumervil after the game, while Dumervil disputed that claim and stated that he didn't receive any kind of apology from Vick.

In college he was known for the "strip-sack" maneuver where he would sometimes strip the ball from ball carriers or quarterbacks.

Despite his collegiate success and comparisons to Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, Dumervil was selected on the second day of the NFL draft due to concerns about his small size (5'11", 258 pounds), and the fact that he went without a sack in his final three collegiate games. This may have been due to being consistently double-teamed, but it was perceived by some as a sign of fatigue. Several teams considered moving him to linebacker or only using him in pass rushing situations.

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
5 ft 11⅜ in	260 lb	4.68 s	1.65 s	2.81 s					30 reps
All values from NFL Combine