2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft: Pick No. 2

Rd. # Player Pos. College 1 2 Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska General Manager: DrewsLions

With the second pick of the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Detroit Lions select Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Here is DrewsLions' reasoning for the pick:

Before I share my pick, I'll give you a quick explanation of the methodology used when I make a selection. That way I won't have to explain it before each of the three picks I'll be making for the Lions. First, I'll be trying my best to marry positional value, best player philosophy, contract worthiness, talent and overall impact. That's a mouthful and not always easy to do, but I just want to be clear that all of those things impact a real GM's decision, so they will in-turn affect mine. Second, the pick will be "my" pick, but I also will not make a selection that I think the Lions "wouldn't" make. For example, I really like a kicker with the second overall pick, but I know that the Lions wouldn't make that selection, so I move to the next most logical option where I feel the Lions might legitimately be interested... wide receiver. Kidding, of course... but you get the gist.

Okay, so now for the pick. I was really dreading mgersz's pick for the Rams, because I had a sneaking suspicion that the boat was going to be rocked by him "not" selecting a quarterback. He was either going to make this decision really, really easy or really, really hard. Thankfully, he made it really, really easy by selecting Sam Bradford. I know that most people think that I have been pretty biased about a certain player in the weeks leading up to this mock, but I just feel that this selection captures all of my criteria above.

Continued after the jump...

There will be no big shocker here today, folks. It was a very easy decision for me. I am more sold on Suh as a player than I was on Stafford last year... by far. For me personally, I think he is the hands-down best player in this draft and would have been last year as well. You just couldn't package a player any better than Suh. His stats reek of complete domination at the college level and his attitude and work ethic have all the makings of a perennial Pro Bowl-caliber player in the NFL. He is as strong as an ox and yet is one of the most athletically gifted defensive tackles to come out in years. Now that I am getting to actually select Suh for the mock, I can let loose with how I feel about him. While we are debating on the site, I try to keep an open mind about other players and other members' views, but my mind is really made up on Suh. I don't think there is another player in the ballpark in terms of total package.

There is only one small worry and that is his contractual value. Suh will get a mega-payday that few defensive tackles receive. If he quickly becomes a Pro Bowl-caliber player, that contract will be fully justified and subsequently forgotten. I think there are two players in this draft that should get contracts over their typical positional value allotment... and Suh is one of them. That's why it is only a small worry.

And because the pick was probably one that doesn't surprise anyone (especially coming from me), I'll throw this in there just to fuel the fire... I would have taken Russell Okung had mgersz picked Suh number one overall. I really went back and forth between Berry and Okung and came to that conclusion because of two things really.

First, I fully believe that no team would take Berry at number two. That's just too high for a Safety... even one as good as Berry. Actually, if I'm being completely honest, I don't think he goes top five in the real NFL draft (on the POD mock he will for sure). I think that the media and fan hype has inflated his positional value and mock value (not his talent), but the real teams won't bite. I know, I know... the system sucks, but it IS the system that's in place (at least for one more year). Don't get me wrong, I think the world of Eric Berry and had we not drafted Delmas last year and had no one at either Safety position, it might have been difficult to pass on him... even at the enormous premium. But the need is simply not there to justify the contract or the value of the position.

Second, Okung gives the Lions so much versatility with the offensive line. That's where the value of a premier tackle really shows up. The question is whether or not Okung is "premier". I think he's "premier enough". I know that seems like I would have been settling for him because he's a tackle, but it comes down to value for the pick. There is no doubt that he would help the Lions and the impact would likely be immediate and substantial because of the versatility. The Lions have an investment in Matthew Stafford to protect and if Suh is off the board and a trade scenario doesn't materialize, I firmly believe that the Lions will take the best tackle on the board... even though he be may not be the best overall player available.

Check out the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.