One day after Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy visited Allen Park, Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh came by the Lions’ facility for his visit.
Suh has been a focal point of this year’s NFL Draft class since his dominating performance in the Big 12 Championship game against Texas when he had a career-best 4.5 sacks for 21 yards lost and a career-high-tying 12 tackles.
“(The season) was definitely a whirlwind,” said Suh. “It was a lot of media. Coach Bo (Pelini) wanted me to be the face of the program, which was a good thing to me, just because I know that’s what it’s going to be like going into the NFL – all the lights are on you.
“You’ve got to deal with that same type of pressures and what not, which I think I dealt with pretty well.”
Suh actually put together the breakout season which put him at the forefront of draft talk in 2008.
That year, he finished with 76 total tackles and 7.5 sacks and was projected as a top pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Suh, however, opted to stay in college for his senior season.
“I didn’t want to be one of those guys perceived as one-and-done,” he said. “My goal was to help my team, first and foremost, (and) win more games than the previous year.
“Other than that, I just didn’t want to be perceived as one of those one-and-done kids. So I wanted to come back and have a better year than I had my so-called ‘breakout year.’”
He certainly did, finishing the year with 82 total tackles, 12 sacks and 26 quarterback hurries.
Now that he has completed four years at Nebraska, it is time to make the transition into the NFL. Suh is looking forward to the opportunity, knowing that there will be schematic changes he will have to deal with at the professional level.
After playing more of a two-gap system, teams like the Lions want to make sure Suh can adjust to pursuing the quarterback first and playing the run on the way.
“We (he and Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek) really just sat down for about a half hour talking about hands and how well I’d be able to fit in and things that he likes that I do on the field,” said Suh.
“It’s a lot of good feedback and that’s kind of what I expected, but at the same time I am still learning. I don’t have set-in-stone habits. (Since I am) able to adjust, I don’t think it will be a problem for me to adjust to the next level and be able to play the pass first and foremost and then getting to the run later.”
Suh was also impressed with the Lions’ coaches and administrators, having already met them in February at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“Coaches and administration have all been fun-loving guys,” he said. “Outgoing, easygoing – really easy to get along with.”
Suh is also really easy to get along with, stating that many who know him describe him as a “teddy bear.”
Not so on the football field, however.
“I like to say I’m kind of bipolar,” he said with a smile.
When the lights come on, Suh’s competitive nature comes out and he says he is a force to be reckoned with.
“I’m a totally different person,” he said. “I’m angry, aggressive and just want to impose my will on that person to make them feel my presence. That’s why I said I’m kind of bipolar because I’m two opposites: I’m very aggressive and very competitive. That’s just my nature.”
Suh says he comes by that naturally, growing up with an extremely competitive family.
His dad, Michael, played professional soccer as did one of his three sisters. His mom, Bernadette, ran track and played cricket.
But even though Suh is an aggressive competitor at heart, he doesn’t fashion himself a vocal leader on the football field.
“I see myself as a different leader – I’m more of a leader that leads by example,” he said. “I’m not much of a talker. I’m a quieter guy, so I don’t like to talk about what you should do. I’m more like being about it and walking the walk.”
Suh believes he would fit in as a member of the Detroit Lions, but both he and fans will have to wait until April 22 to find out if he actually will be.
For now, he is just enjoying the ride of being one of the year’s top college prospects.
“I’m definitely anxious,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I’m just soaking it up trip-by-trip and day-by-day because here in the next month or so it’s going to be down pat.
“(I’m) going to go (to a team) and you’re going be at that place. That’s what you’re going to live with. So I’m eager to see where I end up at.”
