Posts Tagged ‘Ndamukong Suh’

Recently, I was having a conversation with my friend Ty, author of The Lions in Winter blog, shooting the breeze about Lions-related news and some Draft morsels.  I told him about how I’ve been calculating strength of schedule for several of the league’s bottom feeders. He pointed out to me, the latest buzz about the draft is all about which team will get Ndamukong Suh. I’ve peeked around NFL fan forums and draft message boards to confirm this statement, and it most certainly is the case.

So here’s the truth. Week 15 of the NFL regular season has changed everything.

Before this week, there were 3 teams with a decent shot at getting Suh. Tampa Bay was holding the number 1 draft spot, until they smothered the Seattle Seahawks, and Cleveland was nipping at their heels with the number 3 slot. However, both teams miraculously won their games, thus pushing them both behind Detroit. Now, the draft order should look like this:

1. St. Louis Rams
2. Detroit Lions
3. Tampa Bay Bucs
4. Cleveland Browns

In order for the Lions to maintain this number 2 draft slot, they must maintain a weaker strength of schedule than the Bucs. Considering that the Lions have a nine game advantage over the Bucs with only two weeks remaining, it seems likely that Detroit will be selecting ahead of Tampa in April.

Right now, here is how each team stands in strength of schedule in terms of win-loss record:

Detroit Lions opponents: 115-108  (0.51570 %)

Tampa Bay Bucs opponents: 124-98 (0.55856 %)

Finally, the main reason that Detroit will land Suh in the draft is because St. Louis should be drafting a QB with the number 1 overall pick. This is a quarterback-driven league, and although the Rams need to upgrade their pass rush, they will decide to replace Marc Bulger with a young signal caller.

The only way that I see Detroit passing up Suh is if they are given a blockbuster deal worth at least two 1st round picks, and will allow the Lions to pick outside the top 10 for once.

1. St. Louis Rams

Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

The days of Marc Bulger are numbered, and the franchise needs to add young talent at quarterback if they are serious about winning any time soon. And considering how the Rams have already used top 5 picks on DE and OT, the only justifiable position to take this early is a quarterback.

It is debatable who the best quarterback is, but St. Louis runs a version of the West Coast offense. For this reason, I would give a slight edge to Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford over Washington’s Jake Locker. Bradford is blessed with superior leadership qualities, and supreme accuracy, two things that NFL teams covet out of their signal caller. Additionally, his experience operating out of the shotgun should not hurt him too much, since the Rams often utilize this formation themselves.

2. Cleveland Browns

Jake Locker, QB, Washington

It has been widely publicized that Eric Mangini is not keen on quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn. I don’t blame him one bit. The passer ratings of the two QB’s are 36.2 and 70.4 respectively. Unfortunately, both of these players have contracts that may prevent Cleveland from upgrading the position.

However, I do believe that Mangini will find a way to get an able-bodied QB to Cleveland in the form of Washington’s rocket armed Jake Locker. The Huskies signal caller is gifted with all the physical tools necessary to be a great NFL quarterback.

3. Detroit Lions

Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

Detroit has many needs, including a glaring hole at LT. But if I learned anything last year about how the Lions’ front office drafts, it is this: they draft purely on grade and not based on need. If they have the chance to add perhaps the best player in this class, then it’s a done deal. They sorely need help on the interior of the defense, and there is no better way of doing this than acquiring a dominant DT like Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh.

After seeing the Vikings’ Kevin Williams shred the Lions’ offensive line by blowing up plays in the backfield, it seems that the Lions will be salivating at the ability to obtain such a similar talent in Suh.  His unique blend of athleticism, strength, and technique will make him a fearsome force- exactly the type of  player that Detroit has lacked for so long.

Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Depending on how Suh grades out, and whether he is still on the board when the Lions make their selection, Detroit’s contingency plan may be to select the other can’t miss defender available: Tennessee safety Eric Berry. His elite skill set could be too much for GM Martin Mayhew to overlook, especially considering how the safety spot beside rookie Louis Delmas has been a revolving door in recent years. Players like Marquand Manuel and Kalvin Pearson aren’t cutting the mustard. So, a ball hawk roaming the the weak Detroit secondary would be exactly what the doctor ordered.

4. Tampa Bay Bucs

Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Since Tampa doesn’t need a LT or QB right now, they are in position to take the best player available. Sabby Piscitelli isn’t scaring opponents, and Jermaine Phillips is a free agent after this season. If the Bucs couple a promising young safety with the talent already present at cornerback, they could have a frightening  secondary.

Eric Berry is a game breaking safety prospect that would aid the Bucs in both pass coverage and run support. Tampa hasn’t had an impact player at safety since John Lynch departed for Denver.

Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma

Tampa would undoubtedly love to add Ndamukong Suh to help fix  the league’s worst run defense. But Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy is one heck of a consolation prize if they decide to address the area of greatest need. The interior of the defensive line has been unable to get  pressure, and they have been unable to hold their assigned gaps effectively. A gap penetrating tackle like McCoy is what Tampa had in Warren Sapp during their Super Bowl run.

5. Oakland Raiders

Taylor Mays, S, Southern Cal

Raiders’ owner Al Davis is a sucker for speed and athleticism. The failure of former 1st rounder Michael Huff can only bolster his interest in the super-freak known as Taylor Mays. His amazing athleticism for a 6’3, 235 lb safety is remarkable. And if he times as expected in the 40 yard dash at the Combine, then he becomes the obvious candidate here.

Grabbing Mays this early is not advisable, but we are talking about the owner who selected a punter in the 1st round way back when. Mays isn’t known for his coverage or ball skills, but he certainly can lay the wood and possesses the elite straight line speed that Davis covets.

Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma St.

Although Mays is perhaps the player Davis “will” choose, the player he “should” choose is someone else entirely. Despite using three top 10 picks on offensive skill players in the last three years, Oakland is ranked last in the league in 1st downs and total yards per game. I am assuming that the Raiders will give JaMarcus Russell one last year to prove himself before letting him go. And the trend thus far has been to add weapons to aid his development. How about selecting an elite LT to protect the quarterback and give him time to throw the ball?

Russell Okung is a tremendous athlete with excellent length and footwork. He is a bit raw but the tools to be good are all there.

Picks 6-10 coming soon!

Ndamukong Suh

• Height: 6-4
• Weight: 300
• DT
• Nebraska
  

Courtesy of Huskers.com

Attribute	Rating
Explosiveness
Pass Rush
Run Defense
Strength
Agility
Football I.Q
Tackling
Durability

Scouting Report

Coming out of high school, Ndamukong Suh (pronounced En-dom-ah-ken Soo) was regarded as the top recruit in the state of Oregon. Over the last four years, his knack for making plays has turned him into perhaps the best pro prospect in the entire country.

Explosiveness: Shoots into the gap quickly to make a play in the backfield. Generally, very effective at anticipating the snap count, but he occasionally jumps offsides as a result.

Pass Rush: Together with his long arms, Suh consistently demonstrates excellent use of hands to keep opponent at bay or to get the strong punch into the chest of blocker. Shows the ability to toss linemen aside with a club move. Very productive pass rusher (7.5 sacks last year/12 sacks this year). Possesses excellent balance due to his superior footwork and agility, thus making him extremely tough to take to the ground. Suh is aware enough to bat down passes at the line of scrimmage if he knows he won’t make it to the quarterback, and has shown a knack for plucking the ball out of the air with his good hands. Can get a good push and will slip between the double team. Because of his immense strength, Suh mainly gets by with only power moves. But he flashes an effective swim move to keep blockers guessing.

Run Defense: Moves down the line and sifts through blockers effectively. In goalline situations, plays low and can plug the center of the line. With his excellent quickness, he regularly penetrates into the backfield to make the tackle or force the ball carrier to bounce outside. Occasionally won’t get pads low enough, presumably when he is anticipating the cut block. When this happens, Suh will lose his anchor against the run. Lacks the natural girth of a true nose tackle and I struggle to see him putting on much more weight. Although he should be a good 3-technique undertackle, Suh could be a great penetrating end in a 3-4 front, similar to a Richard Seymour.

Strength: Superior functional strength, especially in his lower body and core. As noted before, Suh can throw blockers to the side once he locks onto them. Can push the double team back enough to affect opposing quarterbacks.

Agility: In his youth, Suh was an accomplished soccer player, which undoubtedly helped him maintain strong balance and footwork. Of all of his traits, the Nebraska defensive tackle is said to have incredible agility for a man his side.  His athleticism is reminiscent of Minnesota Viking DT Kevin Williams.

Football I.Q: Very good play regonition skills. Quick to sniff out screens. Awareness in passing situations is one of his strongest suits, where he shows the instincts to drop back slightly into zone coverage to make a play on the ball.

Tackling: Due to his agility, Suh is an accomplished tackler in space.  Led the team in tackles last season with a total of 76. Will drive through ball carrier and has the explosiveness to put some pop into his tackles. Often is able to make one-armed tackles while fighting off blocker with other hand.

Durability: Has struggled with knee issues especially in his first two seasons. But has had no major issues in 2009.

Possibly interested NFL teams:

• Tampa Bay
• Detroit
• Cleveland
• Carolina
• Kansas City