Top 10 Lions of 2013, No. 3: Ndamukong Suh

Pride Of Detroit is counting down the top 10 Detroit Lions players of 2013, as voted on by readers of the site. 1,051 ballots were submitted, and next up is a look at the No. 3 player on the list.

No. 3 - DT Ndamukong Suh - 6,863 points (11 first-place votes)

For the second year in a row, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is third on our list of the top 10 Lions. For 2013, he finished third after securing 6,863 points. He was included on 977 of the 1,051 ballots, and he got 11 first-place votes this year. Most of the ballots he appeared on had him somewhere between second and fourth, so it's no surprise he came in third.

Suh, who went to his second career Pro Bowl last season, is entering his fourth year with the Lions. He had a tough 2011 between a drop in production and the whole stomping incident, and he got off to a bit of a slow start in 2012. However, Suh really took his game to another level toward the end of 2012, and he ended up finishing with 35 tackles, 8.0 sacks and 2 passes defended.

Going into 2013, the Lions want to see more of that dominant style of play from Suh. The Lions need him to consistently perform at a high level, and they really need him to take that next major step forward. Detroit has a lot of talent at defensive tackle on paper between Suh and Nick Fairley, but they will have to live up to the hype on the field to truly be called the NFL's best DT tandem.

Given that Suh is No. 3 on the Top 10 Lions of 2013 and Fairley previously came in at No. 5, it's clear that expectations are quite high for this tandem in 2013.

Previously: No. 10 Ryan Broyles, No. 9 Stephen Tulloch, No. 8 Riley Reiff, No. 7 Chris Houston, No. 6 Glover Quin, No. 5 Nick Fairley, No. 4 Reggie Bush