LINCOLN — If you haven't noticed, it appears that Ndamukong Suh's one-year financial sacrifice has paid off.
Last January, Suh decided against declaring for the NFL draft as a junior, trading instant prosperity for a college degree and the chance at improvement.
And as it turns out, things couldn't have worked out any better for Nebraska's senior defensive tackle, who ESPN analyst Todd McShay says has jumped from a mid-to-late first rounder to a top 5 lock in April's draft.
In his most recent mock draft, McShay predicted that the St. Louis Rams will select Suh as the first overall pick. Suh is also No. 1 on ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s “Big Board” rankings of pro prospects.
“I think he's gone from a very good player to an elite player,” McShay said during a conference call with reporters Monday. “The production was there a year ago, but I think he's playing with a better understanding of the game.”
Suh won the Outland Trophy, the Lombardi Award, the Bronko Nagurski Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award after a standout senior season. He finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting, too.
His statistical jump hasn't been major. With one game remaining in 2009, Suh has 82 total tackles, six more than his total last year. He has recorded 4½ more sacks, four more tackles for loss and 17 more quarterback hurries.
But McShay said Suh has improved his on-field intellect, among other elements of his game.
“His instincts were good a year ago, but I think they're exceptional now,” said McShay, who joined ESPN in 2006 and has been evaluating NFL prospects since 1998. “He continues to develop physically. He's gotten even stronger this season, and (he's) shown the ability to just drive through double teams, and take offensive linemen and absolutely blow plays up in the backfield.”
That senior-year development is exactly why Suh chose to return to Nebraska. He wanted one more year of tutelage under Bo and Carl Pelini.
Suh graduated Saturday with a construction management degree. “That's the way it was planned out,” Suh said last week. “That's why I took 12 (credit) hours this summer.”
So now, after Nebraska's Holiday Bowl against Arizona Dec. 30, Suh will have nearly four uninterrupted months to prepare for April's draft.
Of course, the draft picture could look different then than it does to McShay now. The NFL's current two-win teams, Tampa Bay and Detroit, could ultimately end up with a higher pick than the Rams, who are 1-13.
Detroit has selected just one defensive player with its 12 first-round picks during the last 10 drafts. Tampa Bay hasn't drafted a defensive tackle in the first round this decade.
But NFL scouts probably won't ever evaluate the talent level of Suh any differently, according to McShay. He said Suh has already proven his ability.
“I can't remember evaluating a defensive tackle with the kind of instincts that you see out of Suh — the interceptions, the forced fumbles, the fumble recoveries,” McShay said. “(He's) always around the ball. He's flat-out dominant. There's not a lot of players like him.”
Of course, Suh isn't a perfect NFL prospect, McShay said.
McShay would like to see Suh maneuver past linemen and get to the quarterback more effectively, but it's an aspect of his game that he can get better at.
“He's not a great pass rusher right now,” McShay said. “I think he can improve in that area with some better technique, in terms of getting off blocks and adding an array of moves. But he is strong. He's as strong as I can remember watching a college player.”
Contact the writer:
402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com
Osborne: No discussion about NU reprimands
LINCOLN — Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne said Monday he has had no conversation with Big 12 administrators about any reprimands or penalties to Husker football coaches for their heard-in-public critical comments following the league championship game on Dec. 5.
Osborne confirmed that information in a phone call Monday with The World-Herald after three attempts in the past week to get Nebraska's side of the story generated no response from his office.
— World-Herald Bureau
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
RSS Feeds