Ndamukong Suh
Ndamukong Suh, DT – Nebraska Cornhuskers, is an extremely talented defensive tackle prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft. Suh dominated opponents this season and throughout his great career at Nebraska. Suh is a disruptive force in the middle, and equally effective as a run stuffer and a pass rusher. Despite being such a dominant player, it really took until the Big XII Championship Game versus Texas to have his coming out party. Suh has widely been considered the best defensive tackle prospect in years, and has an excellent chance of being this years #1 overall pick.
Let me preface this by saying that we are still in the process of scouting Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh, and that from what we have seen, we really like him as a player. He may be the best NFL draft prospect since Jake Long of Michigan went to Miami, in other words the closest “Can’t Miss if you Pick Player” since the 98 draft when the Dolphins selected Long.
Suh, who measures out at 6’5 295 (or so) was a great player for Nebraska, and might be the best defensive player scouted in the past three years. He has great upper-body strength, disengages from blocks extraordinarily well, has good athleticism, deflects passes (had four against Virginia Tech), splits double teams, chases down screens… He’s very impressive. Rarely do you see defensive tackles throw BCS offensive guards around like rag dolls, but Suh does it multiple times a game. He nearly won the Big 12 Championship game on his own, completely dominating the line of scrimmage, he just does so many things well.
Nobody is perfect, though, and there are some concerns. Suh is, to borrow an overused saying, a bit of a tweener. While he has an exceptionally strong upper body, there are some concerns about his ability to anchor as the “nose” of a 4-3 defense (or 1-technique, if you prefer) on a consistent basis. His lower body strength could improve, but frankly he would likely need at least 20 lbs. in bulk to have the anchor. He also struggles with leverage a bit when facing effective offensive lineman (Which he will see consistently at the next level), and combined with his being comparatively “light” that could create a problem.
So, what to do? You move him to the “under” tackle spot (or 3-technique, gap shooter, what have you). That’s probably where he is best used anyways, and we could see him having great success there. One small problem, one great one. The small problem is that he isn’t a freak athlete. He’s very athletic, but his first step is not extraordinary. His plays against the run and pass are more likely to be the result of his strength and hands, which take a little longer. He may make twice as many tackles as, say, Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy, but most of Suh’s will be at the line of scrimmage, not 3 yards in the backfield. Personally, we prefer that style anyway because it is more sound against the run, but it probably means less completely broken pass plays (as in Tommie Harris of the Chicago Bears ruining an offensive game plan).
While Suh is an extremely versatile player, we cannot help but feel like Suh would thrive as a 3-4 end (Nebraska used him there a fair amount every game). His size, strength, hands, and athleticism would make him a dominant player – far, far, far better than say Tyson Jackson, now of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Breakdown
Strengths
Large Frame
Very Active – Motor is constantly running
Grades out well in chase (pursuit) tackling
Good lower body strength (Could be improved)
Great instincts, which allow him to be explosive off the snap
Great leadership and a solid work ethic
Considerable Upside
Uses his hands extremely well and shows tremendous strength when fighting off blockers
He is able to stand up linemen, locate the football, and position himself to make the tackle
Displays good technique when using the swim and rip moves
Reads Screens Extremely Well
Versatile; can play 1-, 3-, and 5-techniques.
Consistently disengages from linemen to make tackles
Effective at collapsing the Pocket
He is an amazing play-maker, seems to always be around the football
Weaknesses
Has shown a tendency to miss tackles
He has had multiple knee injuries and surgeries which will bring up huge concerns at the upcoming NFL Combine
Occasionally gets too high in stance which leads to being washed
Needs work on his Leverage Technique, Occasionally is too high in stance
Durability concerns due to Multiple Knee Surgeries
After one of the most dominating seasons by a defensive tackle in the history of college football, there is little doubt that Suh is the best player in this draft class on either side of the ball. Even casual fans became aware of the supremacy of the Heisman Trophy finalist after he nearly led the Cornhuskers to victory over Texas in the Big 12 Championship game and shutdown the Arizona offense in the Holiday Bowl. If St. Louis does not take him with the first pick, they may regret it for the next decade.
Suh Tosses McCoy
Ndamukong Suh on College Game Day
Ndamukong Suh Big 12 Championship Highlights