ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) -Ndamukong Suh started playing soccer when he was 3 and gave it up in the eighth grade to try football.
Good call.
Suh stands to make at least $60 million as the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.
He will earn the money, relatively speaking, because the Detroit Lions desperately need him to be worth every penny to help their floundering franchise.
“I’m not afraid of this situation,” Suh said Friday.
Jahvid Best isn’t, either.
“If we can turn this program around, that would really be something special,” he said.
The Lions have won only one playoff game since winning the 1957 NFL title, had the league’s first 0-16 season two years ago and earned just two victories last season.
ath for the franchise.
“Both of those guys are probably in the top 15 on our board,” coach Jim Schwartz said. “That helps our offense, helps our defense.”
The Lions clearly have weaknesses on both sides of the ball after losing an NFL-record 30 games in a two-season span.
Suh should fill a need immediately on the defensive line. Best will get every chance to play right away, too, because Kevin Smith is recovering from major surgery on his left knee.
Both sound like they’re ready for the challenge.
“I’m the type of player that doesn’t want to ever be perceived as a bust,” Suh said. “I’m going to work to never be a bust. I want to be the best.”
He was in college, becoming the first defensive player to win The Associated Press College Football Player of the Year award since its inception in 1998. He was at the top of his game in one of his biggest ones, making 4 1/2 sacks against Texas in the Big 12 title game.
Best, who is from Vallejo, Calif., went under the radar when a frightening fall gave him a season-ending concussion and knocked him out of the Heisman Trophy race. That, though, didn’t stymie his moxie.
“I’m biased, but I’d tell you I’m the best running back in the draft,” Best said.
Best said he has been cleared by doctors after leaping into the end zone and landing awkwardly, putting him in the hospital.
nd of foggy,” he joked.
Suh’s memory is crystal clear of getting frustrated on the soccer field, when his size and strength worked against him while growing up in Portland, Ore.
“I decided that I had gotten too many unfair calls and red cards, so I decided to play football that year,” he recalled. “Ever since, I have definitely enjoyed it.”
Lions fans are already enjoying the fact that Suh will wear No. 90 in the Honolulu blue and silver.
Matt Schiffer, a 23-year-old fan from nearby Dearborn, and a few of his friends were among a handful of fans waiting for Suh to arrive at team headquarters Friday night. Schiffer was sporting what he said was the first Suh jersey, watching it be made at the team’s retail shop at Ford Field moments after the pick was announced Thursday night.
“I was first in line and they were pressing the name and numbers on it right before my eyes,” he said.
Schiffer posed for pictures with Suh, who autographed jerseys and hats before being the feature attraction at a news conference.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Schiffer said. “Most of all, I’m glad here’s here because we REALLY need him on defense.”
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