Some of the biggest money of 2015 is being invested and paid to defensive linemen. No one is going to forget the $114 million deal to Ndamukong Suh. Suh's face might as well be put in the NFL Mount Rushmore up there with Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisburger.
Defensive Linemen will be the first part of this series where we look at some of the key free agent and trade arrivals around the NFL this season.
1. Ndamukong Suh, Miami Dolphins
6-4, 307 pounds. 2nd overall pick of 2010. /ehn-DAHM-uh-kehn SOO/
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Sk Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Tkl Ast Sfty AV
2010*+ 23 DET DT 90 16 16 10.0 1 20 0 20 3 1 0 1 17 1 48 17 15
2011 24 DET DT 90 14 14 4.0 0 0 0 0 1 26 13 6
2012* 25 DET DT 90 16 16 8.0 0 0 0 0 2 25 10 12
2013*+ 26 DET DT 90 16 16 5.5 0 0 0 0 6 1 0 0 0 0 36 12 1 15
2014*+ 27 DET DT 90 16 16 8.5 0 0 0 0 3 46 8 17
Career 78 78 36.0 1 20 0 20 15 2 0 1 17 1 181 60 1 65
Suh is considered the top free agent, hands down, of 2015. Coming off his best season as a pro, Suh has never missed a game to an injury, and is a strong, powerful beast on the line of scrimmage.
His reputation has built himself into the leagues "most feared player". Suh consistently get's behind the line to make plays and get to QB's in rushes, and it happens so much it's scary. He's a hard hitter, a strong tackler, he loves contact, and he's fast, something not often found in defensive linemen.
He's going to fit well in Miami's 4-3 scheme, playing alongside Cameron Wake, Oliver Vernon and Earl Mitchell, Miami looks scarier then usual, and Suh is leading the charge. I see another potential all-pro season ahead for the young man from Nebraska, and a surge in the Miami defense with a special player like Suh in town.
The deal- 6 years, $114 Million, $60 million guaranteed.
2. Darnell Docket, San Francisco 49ers
6-4, 293 lbs. 64th overall pick in 2004.
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Sk Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Tkl Ast Sfty AV
2004 23 ARI UT 90 16 15 3.5 1 20 0 20 3 1 0 1 -4 0 33 6 9
2005 24 ARI rdt/UT 90 16 16 0.5 1 14 0 14 3 1 0 0 0 0 19 10 7
2006 25 ARI UT 90 16 16 2.0 1 -1 0 -1 2 1 0 2 24 0 36 14 6
2007* 26 ARI rde 90 16 16 9.0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 43 15 10
2008 27 ARI DT 90 16 16 4.0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 24 1 37 12 7
2009* 28 ARI DT 90 16 16 7.0 1 3 0 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 42 9 13
2010* 29 ARI DT 90 15 15 5.0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 0 1 45 7 10
2011 30 ARI DT 90 16 16 3.5 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 35 16 9
2012 31 ARI DT 90 15 14 1.5 0 0 0 0 4 23 11 8
2013 32 ARI DT 90 16 16 4.5 36 10 8
2014 33 ARI 90 0 0
Career 158 156 40.5 4 36 0 20 18 9 1 14 44 2 349 110 87
Dockett was a beast his entire career in Arizona. Despite missing 2014 with a torn ACL, Dockett still has signed a 2 year deal with San Francisco and is expected to be a standout in 2015 replacing Justin Smith on the line.Dockett has played in both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes, but his Pro-Bowl seasons always came when playing in the 3-4, where he can play every position on the line. He's a run snuffer for sure, stuffing holes and consistently making tackles to hold run plays in check.
San Francisco want's him to help the young players that the team will most likely draft to replace him by the end of his contract learn the defense. They have yet to sign any other defensive linemen, and players can always use an experienced player to mentor the other men.
The deal- 2 years, $7.5 million, $2 million guaranteed.
3. Haloti Ngata, Detroit Lions
6-4, 335 pounds. 12th overall pick of 2006. /ha-LOW-tee NAH-tah/
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Sk Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Tkl Ast Sfty AV
2006 22 BAL rdt 92 16 16 1.0 1 60 0 60 2 13 18 9
2007 23 BAL RDT 92 16 16 3.0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 43 20 7
2008 24 BAL rde 92 16 16 1.0 2 8 0 7 6 43 12 16
2009* 25 BAL DT 92 14 13 1.5 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 25 10 12
2010*+ 26 BAL DT 92 16 15 5.5 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 46 17 17
2011*+ 27 BAL DT 92 16 16 5.0 0 0 0 0 6 2 0 3 28 1 36 28 18
2012* 28 BAL DT 92 15 14 5.0 0 0 0 0 1 33 18 13
2013* 29 BAL NT 92 15 15 1.5 0 0 0 0 3 23 29 11
2014 30 BAL DT 92 12 12 2.0 2 16 0 13 8 2 0 0 0 0 20 15 11
Career 136 133 25.5 5 84 0 60 32 6 0 5 28 1 282 167 114
Haloti has had a storied NFL career. A 2 time AP 1st team All Pro, Ngata earned himself AP 2nd Team honors last season for the 4th time in his career, the 6th time he appeared on a AP All Pro team. His style of play and the layout of his career has him compared to the likes of Cortez Kennedy, Warren Sapp, and Richard Dent, all Hall of Fame caliber players.Haloti himself has played in 4-3 and 3-4 alignments, playing his rookie season as the teams RDT, and not playing well. While all of his great years have been out of the 3-4, the Lions are hoping that his veteran presence and natural playing ability will grace the defensive front suffering the loss of both Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, and put up some big numbers and play for the Lions desperately in need of some help.
I think Haloti will perform just fine, in fact, he may overperform. Don't put it past the 31 year old man to perform when the time comes. He always has, and he always should.
The Deal- Ngata and Ravens 2015 7th round pick for Lions 2015 4th and 5th round picks.
4. Nick Fairley, Saint Louis Rams
6-5, 291 lbs, 13th overall pick of 2011
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Sk Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Tkl Ast Sfty AV
2011 23 DET 98 10 0 1.0 9 6 1
2012 24 DET dt 98 13 7 5.5 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 27 7 4
2013 25 DET DT 98 15 15 6.0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 4 1 22 13 1 8
2014 26 DET dt 98 8 8 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 8 6 4
Career 46 30 13.5 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 3 4 1 66 32 1 17
Fairley is another one of Detroits former 1st round draft picks that were spent on putting together a strong defensive line. However, Fairley struggled with injuries all of his career, which is why the Rams have signed him to a one year "Prove-it" deal.
When he was healthy, he was one of the best defensive linemen in the league. Playing alongside Ndamukong Suh is always a big help, but the fact of the matter is this guy plays with a lot of talent when he does play. He's missed 9 games the past two seasons, and that's a not a big problem for a team who is stockpiling a ton of talent in their defensive line.
Fairley has a problem with personal foul penalties, he's had 8 excepted in his career, and seeing how there are just 46 games, it's a bit of a worry. He plays rough, and the Rams love to play rough defensive players.
The Deal- 1 year, $5 million, all guaranteed.
5. Jared Odrick, Jacksonville Jaguars
6-5, 301 lbs, 28th overall of the 2010 draft
Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Sk Int Yds TD Lng PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD Tkl Ast Sfty AV
2010 23 MIA rde 98 1 1 1 0 0
2011 24 MIA wlb 98 16 7 6.0 1 39 0 39 2 1 0 0 0 0 20 1 4
2012 25 MIA LDE 98 16 12 5.0 0 0 0 0 2 26 9 7
2013 26 MIA dt/rde 98 16 5 4.5 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 34 9 4
2014 27 MIA dl/DT/lb 98 16 16 1.0 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 1 0 0 23 6 6
Career 65 41 16.5 1 39 0 39 11 3 0 1 0 0 104 25 21
Odrick is a variety player. He plays so many different positions, he'll be a great fit in the Jaguars 4-3 scheme. Last season with Miami, Odrick played his first season of 16 starts, and he played pretty much any position on the defensive line, and a good bit of outside linebacker too.
Odrick can be a great pass rusher. He can be a run stuffer. He has all the tools that Gus Bradley loves to have in his defensive linemen, and alongside Tyson Alualu and Chris Clemons, he's going to be a factor in that defense.
I can see Odrick setting personal highs in his first season as a Jaguar, he just has the upside and the talent to do so. I think that last season, with Cameron Wake and Oliver Vernon getting the majority of the sacks, the Dolphins used him more as their run guard, and the Jaguars will use him to get at the QB again.
The deal- 5 years, $42.5 million, $22 million guaranteed.
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