The college football season is over; withdrawals, depression, misery. Before you slip into an apathetic stupor for eight months, remember that the NFL Draft is just around the corner! From now until April's NFL Draft, I will be profiling some of the more interesting prospects. I can't promise that I'll get to your favorite player, but if you'd like to see a certain player profiled, shoot us an email and let us know.
Here we go. The big daddy of them all: Ndamukong Suh. By now most of you have heard that 'Ndamukong', in the native language of the Ngema tribe in Cameroon, the country from which his father hails, means 'House of Spears'. From here I could argue the appropriateness of the name for a guy who makes opposing offensive linemen feel like they're in a house of spears, taking blow after blow no matter where they turn, but I just thought it was a fun fact. If you're ever in Cameroon, though, now you have something to talk about!
It's rare for a defensive tackle to lead his team in tackles over the course of a season. It's also rare to see the big men lead their team in sacks. Suh led the Cornhuskers in both categories in 2008 (76 tackles, 7.5 sacks) and 2009 (85, 12). Where as many defensive tackles make their living occupying a few blockers in the middle and grabbing the running back when they scamper by, Suh has the agility and short burst quickness to get after running backs and quarterbacks in the backfield or on screen plays. Rather than let the play come to him, Suh does a tremendous job of making plays.
He has tremendous strength that allows him to fight off double teams and he's an aggressive player that does a great job of fighting off his initial blockers on both passing and rushing plays. Some have argued that Suh gives up on longer plays, although he could be seen giving a nice second effort that led to more than a few sacks throughout his career.
Suh has a deep arsenal of moves that allow him to get by offensive linemen. He's known for his punch and swim moves, but can also be seen utilizing the spin. At Nebraska, he was used primarily as a 4-3 tackle, but was also used as a 3-4 end at times. He's not considered the ideal speed rusher, but his unique skill set makes him a good candidate to play the end position in a 3-4 scheme. With the fifth pick, the Chiefs are the highest-picking team that utilizes a 3-4 scheme. Of course, he's already shown what he can do as a 4-3 tackle.
Suh is projected to be taken anywhere from the first pick of the draft to the sixth pick. Most analysts put him at #2 to the Detroit Lions, although there is a growing feeling that Detroit will instead opt for Oklahoma State offensive tackle Russell Okung instead. Bucky Brooks, in his latest mock draft on NFL.com, believes Suh will fall all the way to the Seahawks at #6. While this scenario seems a bit farfetched to most, it certainly would stir up quite a bit of chatter if he began to tumble on draft night.
So what about the Lions? Last season, the Lions switched from their Tampa Two defense that led them to years of defensive woes, to Gunther Cunningham's scheme that has produced some of the top defenses in the league in his years as a defensive coordinator. In his defenses, pass rushing and blitzing abilities are highly valued. Suh may not have the 320+ pounds of defensive tackles Sammie Hill and Corey Williams (both newcomers to the Lions defense under Cunningham), but he is agile and quick enough to more than make up for his 'lack of size', if you can even call it that. He's also an excellent pass rusher, as anybody who has watched him play will attest to, so Suh should fit in perfectly with the Lions' new scheme.
If the Lions pass on Suh and opt instead for Okung, the Bucs will have to make an eagerly awaited decision. Do they take Suh, or Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy? Most people have generally come to accept that McCoy would be a Buccaneer, but that was before the increased speculation that the Lions could go OT instead of DT.
There's also the possibility that the Rams make Suh the top pick in the draft, but things seem to be swinging towards the Rams taking Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford first overall. Should Suh slip past the Rams, Lions and Bucs, the Redskins would then face an interesting decision of whether to add Suh to play alongside $100 million Albert Haynesworth. Two extremely highly paid defensive tackles? Unlikely.
The Chiefs would then likely nab Suh with the fifth pick, although they could also use an offensive lineman as well. That's Brooks' line of thinking in sliding Suh to the Seahawks at #6. There are so many scenarios that will determine Suh's eventual landing spot, but at this point it still seems like the Lions will take Suh at #2. If not the Lions, the Bucs should nab him at the #3 spot. After all, he's been called the best defensive tackle prospect in the last 20 years, so he can't slip past the top 3, right? - Danny Hobrock
Danny is a sports journalist primarily covering college football and professional baseball. His work for Xtra Point Football has garnered national attention and is critically acclaimed. Danny is the former editor of a political and current events website and the editor of our college football content.
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die hard lions fan written by gw5456,
March 30, 2010
i think if the lions don't take suh there out to lunch and they won't be back soon. they will be back to where they have been for years striving to be mediocre. never winning in the playoffs and never winning a superbowl.
+1
... written by Danny Hobrock,
April 01, 2010
@gw5456 I think Suh would be a great fit for Detroit...for your and all Lions fans' sake, I hope they take him. Okung would be a nice addition along the offensive line, though, so don't be discouraged if that's their pick.
The college football season is over; withdrawals, depression, misery. Before you slip into an apathetic stupor for eight months, remember that the NFL Draft is just around the corner! From now until April's NFL Draft, I will be profiling some of the more interesting prospects. I can't promise that I'll get to your favorite player, but if you'd like to see a certain player profiled, 
