LINCOLN — All along, Ndamukong Suh was the picture of composure Thursday night.
All business. Little emotion. Not coughing up a smile until asked for one during his NFL Network interview.
The Detroit Lions have had their share of busts in the NFL draft. Suh, the No. 2 overall pick, doesn't intend to be another.
“I'm definitely one of those guys that don't like to disappoint,” he said.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was just coming to the podium Thursday night and Detroit officially was still “on the clock.” But when an ESPN camera panned to Suh, it was fairly clear who was about to follow No. 1 pick Sam Bradford.
Goodell had to wait for the 6-foot-4, 307-pound defensive tackle from Nebraska after announcing the selection, which drew a steady roar and applause from the assembled crowd at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.
Surrounded by his agents and family, Suh first had to shake some hands. High-five and hug his sister, Ngum. Hug his mother, Bernadette.
Then he started his transition from Husker to Lion, pulling on his jacket, emerging from behind the purple curtains, tugging down a Detroit hat and coming forward to shake hands and pose for pictures with Goodell.
“They're very excited for me to come, and I'm definitely looking forward to it,” Suh told ESPN. “I know the great Detroit fans are looking forward to me, and I'm looking forward to them.”
Suh called the feeling “amazing,” but reality for the highest draft picks is that they're usually headed for the teams that need the most help — like Detroit.
The Lions in 2008 became the first team in NFL history to go 0-16. They were 2-14 last season and are now 33-111 over the past nine. They haven't had a winning record since going 9-7 in 2000 and haven't made the NFL playoffs since 1999.
But General Manager Martin Mayhew told reporters at Lions headquarters that Suh was “too good to pass up” as the team tries to rebuild under second-year coach Jim Schwartz.
“I think last year they got their cornerstone offensively in Matthew Stafford,” Tom Jackson said on the ESPN set. “Now they get their cornerstone defensively with Ndamukong Suh.”
ESPN and NFL Network analysts heaped praise on the 2009 Associated Press national player of the year. In fact, many contended Suh was the best player in the draft even though St. Louis opted for Bradford, making the former Oklahoma star the 10th quarterback to go No. 1 overall in the past 13 years.
Mel Kiper Jr. called Suh “a little underrated as a pass-rusher coming out of college.” Steve Young commented on Suh's “tremendous upside,” an attention-getter considering the accomplishments of Suh at the college level.
Mike Mayock recalled Suh's destruction of Texas in the Big 12 championship game. “I've never seen anything like it,” he said.
They made comparisons to defensive tackles such as Richard Seymour, Bryant Young, Gilbert Brown and Cortez Kennedy.
Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press started his assessment of the pick with four simple words: “What's not to like?”
Suh became the Huskers' highest pick in an NFL draft since Neil Smith went No. 2 to Kansas City in 1988. The only others in NU history to go as high or higher were Irving Fryar (1984) and Sam Francis (1937) as No. 1s, and Smith, Dean Steinkuhler (1984) and Bob Brown (1964) as No. 2s.
Suh will join three former Huskers in Detroit: veteran center Dominic Raiola, recent free-agent signee Kyle Vanden Bosch and safety Daniel Bullocks. Suh and Vanden Bosch will anchor the Lions' defensive front with Suh at tackle and Vanden Bosch at end.
“I think he's the guy, because I think he's the model that Coach Schwartz grew up in,” Mayock said of Suh on the NFL Network. “You plug him in, Kyle Vanden Bosch is a better defensive end and that entire defense is a better defense.”
Contact the writer:
444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
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2010 NFL Draft
After months of waiting, it is Ndamukong Suh's chance to shine in the national spotlight. The former Husker was picked No. 2 overall by the Detroit Lions. Find all of the latest draft information in The World-Herald's Draft Central.
Recent Suh stories
• Only elite can identify with Suh's 'life-changing' night
• Tom Shatel's column: Ex-Husker Raiola roaring for Suh
• Suh, Bradford, McCoy take it easy
• Suh is hoping to leave legacy with donation
Track the draft
• First round, 7 p.m.
Join the conversation
• Live chat: 6:30 p.m.
• Video: Ndamukong Suh prepares for the NFL draft:
• Video: Suh's Nebraska highlights:
• Video: Other players, including OU's Gerald McCoy, talk about the draft:
• Video: Will Sam Bradford go No. 1 overall? He's not sure:
• Photo Showcase: A look at Ndamukong Suh
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