Mark Dominik Wants Ndamukong Suh
December 14th, 2009
How cool must it be to be Nebraska defensive tackle/Heisman Trophy finalist/manbeast Ndamukong Suh? There hasn’t been a human being who Bucs fans have universally drooled over since Rachel Watson!
And it isn’t just Bucs fans who are pitching a tent over Suh. If the Bucs somehow win the derby for the first pick in next spring’s April draft, Bucs general manager Mark Dominik has already said Suh is atop his list (provided Dominik is still with the Bucs).
Dominik confessed to Peter King of SI.com that he too wants Suh.
Ndamukong Suh is the best defensive player to come out of college football this decade. As I said on “Football Night in America” last night, I spoke with the GMs of both one-win teams this weekend — Billy Devaney of the Rams, Mark Dominik of the Bucs — and there’s little doubt that Suh will be at the top of the draft boards of both teams. Usually there’s some doubt who the premier player in the draft will be four months out, but not this year.
“He’s got to be at the top, or very near the top, of every team’s draft board,” Dominik said of Suh, the Nebraska defensive tackle who finished fourth in the Heisman race (Lord knows why). One GM of a losing team who has scouted Suh told me he has “Richard Seymour strength and Warren Sapp quickness.”
Said Dominik: “The only thing that worries me is living up to the hype. If he gets six sacks as a rookie playing defensive tackle, someone’s going to call him a bust because of the high expectations. How’s he going to handle that?” Logical question … but every top pick who ever gets picked has to deal with the weight of expectations. The book on Suh is he’s a mature kid. He’s just going to have to take it.
If the Bucs finished tied with the St. Louis Lambs, the Lambs will have the first pick in the draft. Would the Lambs draft Suh? Joe fears they may.
December 14th, 2009 at 11:53 am
If we don’t end up with the number 1 pick Dominik has got to be ready to trade out of it. The drop off to number two is pretty big. Berry would be the next logical pick but not at number 2, probably available still at 5. With the large drop from Suh, many good DT prospects on the board and two to three interesting QB picks on the board the number 2 might have some value…as bad as we are this year it seems we can’t even win at being worst. It really is time for a playoff system to determine who really is the worst team.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I know I’ve been screaming for defense since the early half of this year, and I don’t necessarily disagree. Hovan isn’t going to last forever and we certainly need to find a solid replacement for him.
But our shift to Raheem basically running the defense (makes you wonder what it would have been like if Gruden hadn’t gotten fired), it seems our offense is now holding us back. Can we draft an offensive coordinator? I have a feeling that our major issues right now are coaching.
That said, I think our two biggest weaknesses on the field are at DT and CB, so if we can get Suh, I’ll be happy. Eight weeks ago I would have said DE, but Jimmy Wilkerson and Stylez White have played quite well since Raheem moved them back to Tampa 2 style.
December 14th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
I think the Rams have to go QB(Clausen???)
If they take Suh, we go Gerald McCoy(DT) or Russell Okung(OT)
Berry is not a logical pick at all. If you want a safety that bad wait until the top of round 2. It’s not a high value postion like DT or OT.
December 14th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Berry would be equal or even greater value…I say greater
December 15th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Then you don’t understand value positions in the NFL. I’ve watched Tennessee games where you didn’t even know Berry was on the field. That’s not a knock on Berry, that’s just a nature of being a S.