Prior to his senior season at Nebraska, this standout defensive tackle had more consonants in his name then fans who knew much about him. Nonetheless, he went on to have one of the more dominant seasons by a defensive player in NCAA history. He didn't stop there either. Suh, the #2 overall pick in last year's NFL draft became the center piece of a Lions defense that almost got them out of the basement in the NFC North...almost. (And that's saying something!)
Suh, is by most standards a behemoth of a young man. Standing 6' 4" and tipping the scales at over three bills he is a load and very tough to handle for NFL offensive linemen. At Nebraska, his career started off with a bang - except that bang was his knee and he would miss just about all of his first season, though he was granted a medical redshirt. It wasn't until his junior season with the Huskers that he started to draw some serious attention. He led the team in tackles that season and was named to the First Team All Big 12. The following year he began to dominate. For all intents and purposes he was a one man wrecking crew. In the Big 12 Championship with a possible BCS Championship bid on the line against Texas he singlehandedly nearly beat the Longhorns. He had 12 tackles that night, 7 for a loss and 4 1/2 sacks. He had Colt McCoy flat on his back more than a coed at a toga party and was even named the game's MVP despite being on the losing side.
Following that game many were projecting him as the #1 overall pick, but he would go 2nd to Detroit behind Sam Bradford of the Rams. His senior season efforts did not go unnoticed as he was the winner of a multitude of awards including the Nagurski Award for the nation's top defensive player, Bednarik award and the Outland Trophy for best lineman. He was also named a Heisman trophy finalist, a bit of a rarity for defensive players. He was a unanimous All-American and won the AP Player of the Year as the first defensive player ever to do so.
All his college accolades amounted to lofty expectations when he hit the NFL, but Suh did not disappoint, immediately becoming a factor in opposing offenses gameplans. Incredibly athletic for his size Suh dominates the line of scrimmage regardless of where he lines up. His vertical leap at the combine was measured at 35 1/2" which is mind boggling for a man who weighs more than 300 LB. He also ran a 40 yard dash in under 5 seconds. Basically, you don't want him chasing you down.
When he does chase someone down he makes it count, as he got to the QB and recorded 10 sacks in his rookie season. That was good for 17th in the league. He also had 66 tackles which was 2nd among DT in the league. One of his best highlights came on an fumble that he returned for a TD, showing off his athleticism.
Around the NFL Suh developed a bit of a nasty reputation. He took some silly aggressive penalties for what some might call "cheap shots" in his first season, but he clearly sent a message to the rest of the league. This is not a guy you want to be messing with. I'm confident that Lions fans are ok with it. They haven't had anyone like this in decades.
The lowly Lions took a couple steps forward this season in that they are no longer a doormat, essentially a bye week for opponents. However, they're still a long way from contending in that division. One thing they are not a long way from though is having the centerpiece of their defense for the next decade. Ndamukong Suh is it, and at just 24 years old Lions fans have something to finally be hopeful about. Now if they could just get that Stafford kid to stay healthy.
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