With a lucrative six-year deal worth $114 million, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh had better live up to expectations for the Miami Dolphins. Following three straight seasons hovering around .500, the Dolphins are hoping to make a playoff push in 2015. Suh is a big part of that plan.
Fortunately, NFL Insiders don't think he's lost a step. ESPN recently polled 70 voters made up of NFL analysts, reporters, statisticians and former players and front office executives to rank the top 100 players in the NFL. Each voter rated a player on a scale of 1-100, and those scores were averaged together to formulate the final list.
Suh came in as the No. 4 ranked player in the NFL with a score of 94.56
"Thirteen voters gave Suh a perfect 100-point mar. Only Rodgers and Watt received more. Suh's impact isn't just measured in sacks and tackles for loss; it's measured in healthy - he has never missed a game due to injury and has played over 900 snaps in every season except 2011 (two-game suspension) - and in how everybody around him looks better because of the blockers he occupies. 'He's a monster of a man, and he can move large men wherever he wants,' said an NFC evaluator. Suh can also move about $1.2 million per game into his bank account on his new deal.
"Suh leads all defensive tackles with 36 sacks since 2010 (his rookie season)."
Suh figures to be the centerpiece of an impressive defensive line that also features all-pro defensive end Cameron Wake and up-and-coming DE Olivier Vernon. Last year, Suh recorded 53 tackles and 8.5 sacks while the Detroit Lions finished the year first overall in rush defense (69.3).
With some NFL experts expecting a breakout season from quarterback Ryan Tannehill, the Dolphins may have enough juice to make that playoff run. Clearly, adding a top five player in the league has a positive effect on the rest of the roster.