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Opinion, Top Posts2010 NFL Draft Preview: Nebraska’s Suh could land top spot
DRAFT GEEK
NFLPosts.com
The more I watch defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh play, the more I feel I’m looking at the No. 1 overall pick next April.
Yes, it’s early. There is still games to be played, plus a bowl bid at the end of the college season. Scouts will then put the 6-foot-4, 305-pound Nebraska star to the test during Senior Bowl week, the Scouting Combine and his personal private workout.
Of course, there is also the matter of which team will select first overall. Should Cleveland or St. Louis land the spot, the organizations might feel the need snatch the top-rated QB on their draft boards.
However, Tampa Bay, which already selected Josh Freeman to be its long-term answer last year, may have enough futility to finish dead last.
And make no mistake, if the Bucs do choose No. 1, they will look long and hard at Suh.
What they’ll find is a 22-year-old with an exciting NFL future.
Suh has been dominant throughout the season, pulling away from Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy as the best DT in college football.
The senior has piled up 53 tackles, including 13 for losses and five sacks. His 17 quarterback hurries lead the team.
Ask any scout what 3 characteristics they look for in a defensive lineman and they will inevitably say: explosion, relentlessness and consistency.
Suh has all three of those traits.
In the Cornhuskers’ 10-3 upset victory over Big 12 rival Oklahoma this past Saturday, Sooners quarterback Landry Jones threw five interceptions, several were due to the heavy pressure Suh caused.
The senior even blocked his third field goal of the season, then hustled back later in the game to break up a screen play.
“He’s speed and athleticism, I mean, I’ve never seen a guy with that size who can move [that fast],” Nebraska defensive tackle Jared Crick said of his teammate during an ESPN feature.
Crick could’ve been describing Nebraska’s 27-12 comeback win in Missouri on a soggy Thursday night in early October.
So relentless was Suh that he chased down Blaine Gabbert and caused a fumble while injuring the Tigers quarterback.
Suh also added six tackles, but his interception – a play where he instinctively dropped back into coverage to make a leaping grab – led to the go-ahead touchdown.
“He’s so strong and he’s so quick off the ball that he can get his hands into you,” said Cornhusker’s centre Jacob Hickman. “And if he does get his hand into you, you’re done.”
Suh, one of four finalists for the Lombardi Award given to the nation’s top offensive or defensive lineman, continually beats doubles teams and causes havoc in the backfield.’
The beauty of his versatility is that he can play either a defensive end in a 3-4 defense or be used as a three-technique/nose tackle in a 4-3 alignment.
No matter which system a team employs, Suh has the ability to become a dominant force at the next level.
I suspect scouts for Tampa Bay, which is ranked 30th in run defense this season, won’t have any problems convincing GM Mark Dominik that Suh would be a perfect fit for the rebuilding unit.
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