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Suh preparing for every drill at NFL combine
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
By Rich Kaipust
World-Herald News Service
LINCOLN — Ndamukong Suh has no qualms with what now amounts to being his full-time job.
Suh’s narrow focus is on the NFL Combine. And he basically works at it 9-to-5, six out of seven days a week.
“I like it. Definitely,” Suh said. “Loving it.”
The former Nebraska defensive tackle took a break from training in Dallas to appear in a Nike event Friday in Miami Beach, Fla. Suh signed a representation deal with the sportswear giant earlier this week.
After traveling Thursday night, Suh said he got a Friday morning reminder from Lance Walker with the Michael Johnson Performance Center that he still had to handle his business.
“I got an e-mail from him today making sure I got my squats and cardio in,” Suh said. “I got that done at 7 o’clock this morning.”
Such is life for the projected No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, who has put all the awards and banquets behind him to concentrate on more pressing matters.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder said Friday that he hasn’t changed his stance on doing every run, lift and drill at the NFL Combine, which starts Feb. 24 in Indianapolis. It’s not unusual for high-ranked prospects to pick and choose what they do, figur
ing the risk is bigger than the reward.
“I’ve been getting this question a lot, and I’ve talked to a lot of great players and coaches that have been at the next level and getting their advice,” Suh said. “And me, in my situation, I feel that personally I want to get everything and lay everything on the table at the combine. I don’t want to leave any questions, no stones unturned. I want to lay it all on the line.
“Then obviously if I feel I didn’t do as well as I planned up there, then I’ll move from there and re-look at that drill or that run at my pro day in March at Nebraska.”
Suh said he is “training for every last bit of it” rather than zeroing in on one facet. That has made for the busy days at the Michael Johnson Performance Center, opened in 2007 by the five-time Olympic gold medal sprinter.
An average day starts with a workout from about 8:30 a.m. until noon. Suh then takes a two- or three-hour window to rest or do prep work for the Wonderlic test and interviews with teams. He follows with another workout session from about 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Among those with him at the Johnson Center are receiver Brandon LaFell of Louisiana State and tailback Dexter McCluster of Mississippi. Suh said his competitive side came out recently when he challenged the 5-9, 170-pound McCluster in the pro agility run.
Suh generally is in the 4.2- or 4.3-second range. The speedy McCluster routinely goes sub-4.0.
“We’re doing the 5-10-5 the other day and I was like, 45>C’mon, Dex, let me race you,’” Suh said. “Of course he’s going to beat me. But like I said, I want to be the best at not only my position, but I want to challenge other guys.”
Suh has tried to ride that never-be-satisfied mentality despite the strong possibility that his name is called first when the NFL draft starts April 22. It had to be that way last season, he said, when people were already talking about his future.
“That’s one of the biggest things I had to work against last year,” said Suh, who went on to be the Associated Press player of the year for NU while also winning the Outland, Lombardi, Nagurski and Bednarik awards.
Suh took part in a Web cast Friday as Nike unveiled the 2010 schedule for its high school combines. Suh said he was proud to be part of the Nike family and reminisced about going to Nike combines at Texas A&M and Stanford, the latter leading to his Husker scholarship offer from former NU assistant coach John Blake.
After appearing at the Miami combine today, Suh said it’s back to Dallas, where his training has gone well and included input and communication from NU strength and conditioning coach James Dobson.
“One of the big reasons I chose to go there is it’s very similar to what we did at Nebraska,” Suh said.
Suh’s narrow focus is on the NFL Combine. And he basically works at it 9-to-5, six out of seven days a week.
“I like it. Definitely,” Suh said. “Loving it.”
The former Nebraska defensive tackle took a break from training in Dallas to appear in a Nike event Friday in Miami Beach, Fla. Suh signed a representation deal with the sportswear giant earlier this week.
“I got an e-mail from him today making sure I got my squats and cardio in,” Suh said. “I got that done at 7 o’clock this morning.”
Such is life for the projected No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, who has put all the awards and banquets behind him to concentrate on more pressing matters.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder said Friday that he hasn’t changed his stance on doing every run, lift and drill at the NFL Combine, which starts Feb. 24 in Indianapolis. It’s not unusual for high-ranked prospects to pick and choose what they do, figur
ing the risk is bigger than the reward.
“I’ve been getting this question a lot, and I’ve talked to a lot of great players and coaches that have been at the next level and getting their advice,” Suh said. “And me, in my situation, I feel that personally I want to get everything and lay everything on the table at the combine. I don’t want to leave any questions, no stones unturned. I want to lay it all on the line.
“Then obviously if I feel I didn’t do as well as I planned up there, then I’ll move from there and re-look at that drill or that run at my pro day in March at Nebraska.”
Suh said he is “training for every last bit of it” rather than zeroing in on one facet. That has made for the busy days at the Michael Johnson Performance Center, opened in 2007 by the five-time Olympic gold medal sprinter.
An average day starts with a workout from about 8:30 a.m. until noon. Suh then takes a two- or three-hour window to rest or do prep work for the Wonderlic test and interviews with teams. He follows with another workout session from about 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Among those with him at the Johnson Center are receiver Brandon LaFell of Louisiana State and tailback Dexter McCluster of Mississippi. Suh said his competitive side came out recently when he challenged the 5-9, 170-pound McCluster in the pro agility run.
Suh generally is in the 4.2- or 4.3-second range. The speedy McCluster routinely goes sub-4.0.
“We’re doing the 5-10-5 the other day and I was like, 45>C’mon, Dex, let me race you,’” Suh said. “Of course he’s going to beat me. But like I said, I want to be the best at not only my position, but I want to challenge other guys.”
Suh has tried to ride that never-be-satisfied mentality despite the strong possibility that his name is called first when the NFL draft starts April 22. It had to be that way last season, he said, when people were already talking about his future.
“That’s one of the biggest things I had to work against last year,” said Suh, who went on to be the Associated Press player of the year for NU while also winning the Outland, Lombardi, Nagurski and Bednarik awards.
Suh took part in a Web cast Friday as Nike unveiled the 2010 schedule for its high school combines. Suh said he was proud to be part of the Nike family and reminisced about going to Nike combines at Texas A&M and Stanford, the latter leading to his Husker scholarship offer from former NU assistant coach John Blake.
After appearing at the Miami combine today, Suh said it’s back to Dallas, where his training has gone well and included input and communication from NU strength and conditioning coach James Dobson.
“One of the big reasons I chose to go there is it’s very similar to what we did at Nebraska,” Suh said.
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