Suh Separating Contract Talks, Lions Workouts
NFL Countdown | by Mike O'Hara | 05.13.2010/12:04PM
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ALLEN PARK – The Lions can count on Ndamukong Suh’s agent playing hardball in contract negotiations, but that will have no impact on Suh’s focus or participation in any of the team’s offseason workout programs.
Suh and the rest of the rookies will report to the Lions’ headquarters facility on Monday to begin the offseason training program.
Monday is the first day rookies can report, under rules set up by the NFL and the NCAA.
It has been unusual in recent years for high draft picks to boycott offseason workouts as a wedge in contract talks, and Suh is no exception.
The star defensive tackle from Nebraska, drafted second overall by the Lions last month, is eager to get started on his pro career.
“He’s going to come to everything,” said Suh’s agent, Roosevelt Barnes, a linebacker with the Lions in the 1980s. “He plans on being at the OTAs and participating in all of the offseason programs.
“His stance is, ‘I’m going to do everything I need to do (to play football), and the Lions should pay me according to what I believe I can do, and what they believe I can do, and what they’ve said they believe I can do.’”
Barnes would not comment on the specifics of what Suh would ask for in contract negotiations. However, Barnes sees no parallel between Suh’s negotiations and those involving cornerback Bryan Westbrook in 1997. Barnes and associate Eugene Parker represented Westbrook when he was drafted fifth overall by the Lions. Westbrook missed almost all of training camp and half the exhibition season before signing.
“I don’t see it being like Westbrook,” Barnes said.
Suh arrives with considerably more hype – and production – than Westbrook. Fans were calling the Lions’ ticket office before the draft, imploring the franchise to draft Suh, and his jersey has been a big seller.
The Lions have avoided lengthy rookie holdouts, despite having high draft picks almost every season since 2002, when quarterback Joey Harrington was taken third overall.
Harrington signed in time to report to camp on time, as did Charles Rogers (second overall in 2003) and quarterback Matthew Stafford (first overall in 2009).
Stafford was signed before the draft.
Roy Williams (2004), Mike Williams (2005) and Calvin Johnson (2007) all were signed after missing a few days of camp.
One complicating factor in Suh’s situation could be that the Rams have not signed quarterback Sam Bradford, drafted first overall.
A similar circumstance in 2007 had no impact on the Lions’ signing Johnson. The Raiders drafted quarterback JaMarcus Russell first overall and did not sign him until after the opening regular-season game—a loss to the Lions.
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Players-for-Picks Part of Lions’ Draft Grade
NFL Countdown | by Mike O'Hara | 04.27.2010/6:51AM
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In terms of pomp and circumstance – and Mel Kiper’s never-wilt hairstyle—the 2010 NFL draft officially began shortly after 7:30 Thursday evening. That’s when the Rams made Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford the first pick, with draftniks howling and the TV lights glowing.
In reality, the draft started earlier. Much earlier. Weeks and months earlier.
Teams cashed in draft picks in the trade market to build their roster. It was like trading in the futures market – today’s proven commodities for tomorrow’s potential.
The Lions dealt in volume in the futures market, but not at a high level. Donovan McNabb and Brandon Marshall were among the big-name players to change teams.
Long before the draft – dating to 2009, actually—the Lions exchanged picks in the 2009 draft to build their roster. A fair evaluation of how GM Martin Mayhew and his personnel and scouting staff performed should include an analysis of veterans acquired for draft picks – and the players taken in that draft slot.
Here is one man’s market report of the value received by the Lions for picks traded:
Round 5, pick 133, to Seattle:
Player received: Rob Sims, 26, full-time starter at left guard, should be entering the peak years of a productive career.
Seattle’s pick: Kam Chancellor, FS, Virginia Tech. He’s 6-3 and 231 with some physical skill.
Added value: Lions also got Seattle’s seventh-round pick in the deal and used it on defensive end Willie Young of North Carolina State.
Stock value: Win for the Lions. Left guard was the biggest weakness on their offensive line. Now the spotlight falls on right tackle, where 2008 first-round pick Gosder Cherilus must pick up his game.
Round 5, pick 134, to Cleveland (ultimately dealt to the Bucs and finally the Eagles).
Player received: DT Corey Williams, who turns 30 in August. He had 14 sacks his last two seasons in Green Bay before going to Cleveland in 2008. He was moved to end and was less productive there.
Philadelphia’s pick: Ricky Sapp, DE, Clemson.
Stock value: The Lions get an immediate return on the investment from Williams, but Sapp has future value. Williams should give the Lions a strong tackle rotation for three or four years. Immediate improvement of a defense that has ranked last for three straight years is vital.
Round 6, pick 171, to Atlanta:
Player received: CB Chris Houston, 25, started 37 of 44 games played in three seasons with the Falcons.
Atlanta’s pick: Shann Schillinger, S, Montana. An obscure prospect, at best.
Stock value: Cornerbacks and offensive linemen are like packing shirts and underwear for a long trip. You never think you have enough. This was a heist for the Lions – a young, starting cornerback who was a primary starter on a young, improving team.
Round 7, pick 209 to Buffalo in 2009.
Player received: Safety Ko Simpson, 26. He started five of eight games played for the Lions in ’09 and is coming off an injury. He was the starting safety, when healthy, for three seasons in Buffalo.
Buffalo’s pick: Levi Brown, QB, Troy. He was invited to the combine to throw in drills but not as a participant. Whoopee.
Stock value: A wash. The Lions obviously would not have drafted a safety but might have gotten a player similar to LB Zack Follett, a seventh-round pick last year from Cal. Follett will compete for a starting job this year.
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