Ndamukong Suh

BIOGRAPHY

Ndamukong Ngwa Suh was born on January 6, 1987, in Portland, Oregon. He is a defensive tackle in the NFL. In his early years, Suh attended Grant High School in Portland, where he was a three-sport star in football, basketball, and track and field. He played as a two-way lineman for the Grant Generals. Suh earned first-team All-PIL honors on both offense and defense as a junior and was an honorable-mention All-state pick. In his senior year, he collected 65 tackles, including 10 sacks and recovered four fumbles, which earned him Parade magazine high school All-America honors, the 2004 Portland Interscholastic League Defensive Player of the Year, and a Class 4A first-team all-state selection. He also played in the 2005 U. S. Army All-American Bowl. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com Suh was the sixth-ranked defensive tackle in the United States. On January 20, 2005, he committed to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Suh attended the University of Nebraska, where he played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team from 2005 to 2009. As a freshman in 2005, Suh played in the first two games and had an assisted tackle against Wake Forest. In 2006, Suh played in all 14 games as a backup defensive lineman and earned freshman All-Big 12 honors from The Sporting News. He finished the year with 19 total tackles and ranked among the team leaders in tackles for loss with 8 and 3½ quarterback sacks. In his sophomore season, Suh started in 11 out of 12 games for the Cornhuskers and recorded 34 total tackles on the season. As a junior in 2008, Suh recorded a team-high 76 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions where both were returned for touchdowns, and a touchdown reception while playing fullback, becoming the first Nebraska defensive lineman to lead the team in tackles since 1973. Suh was an honorable mention All-American, and earned First-team All-Big 12 honors in 2008, being the first Nebraska interior defensive lineman to earn those honors since Steve Warren in 1999. In 2009, Suh registered 85 tackles, 12 quarterback sacks, 28 quarterback hurries, 24 tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups, 3 blocked kicks, and 1 interception. Suh earned the MVP honors in the Big 12 Championship game against the Texas Longhorns where he made 12 tackles and 4½ sacks. He earned unanimous first-team All-Big 12 honors and the Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year. He was named the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, the recipient of the Bill Wills Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, and Outland Trophy, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. He was also a finalist for the Lott Trophy, Walter Camp Award, and Heisman Trophy.

Suh was widely considered to be one of the best prospects available in the 2010 NFL Draft. At the NFL Combine, Suh bench pressed 225 lbs 32 times and had a 35½ inch vertical leap, the highest for a defensive tackle since Al Lucas in 2000. Suh was selected second overall in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, becoming the first defensive lineman selected by the team in the first round since Luther Elliss in 1995. On August 3, Suh agreed to a five-year contract with the Lions. On September 12, Suh had his first sack against the Chicago Bears on quarterback Jay Cutler. On October 10, he recorded his first career interception off Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams and scored his first touchdown of his NFL career against the Washington Redskins, recovering a fumble by Rex Grossman. In the 2010 season, Suh led the Lions, all rookies, and all defensive tackles in sacks with 10. He was picked as a starter for the Pro Bowl, becoming the first Lions rookie since Barry Sanders to be picked as a Pro Bowl starter. On January 25, 2011, Suh was named to the All-Pro Team. He was also named the Sporting News Rookie of the Year, the Pro Football Weekly and Pro Football Writers of America Rookie of the Year, the PEPSI NFL Rookie of the Year and the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Suh was named a Pro Bowl alternate for the NFC after the 2011 NFL season. He finished the 2011 season with 4 sacks, a pass defended, and 26 tackles, while in the 2012 season, he finished with 8 sacks, 2 passes defended, and 25 tackles in 16 games. On November 28, 2013, Suh sacked Matt Flynn in the end zone, forcing a safety for the first time of his career during the Thanksgiving game. In the 2014 season, Suh racked up 53 tackles and 8.5 sacks.

On March 11, 2015, Suh signed a six-year contract with the Miami Dolphins, making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, passing Houston Texans defensive end J. J. Watt. Suh started all 16 games in 2015, finishing the season with 61 tackles, six sacks, and five passes defended. He was ranked 40th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016, and in the 2016 season, Suh started all 16 games with 72 tackles, 5 sacks, and 6 passes defended. He was ranked 55th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 48 combined tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, ranking 61st on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018. On March 14, 2018, Suh was released, after spending 3 seasons with the Dolphins. On March 26, 2018, Suh signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Rams. Suh finished the season with 59 tackles and 4.5 sacks. In the playoffs, Suh recorded 4 tackles in the divisional game against the Dallas Cowboys, and 4 tackles with 1.5 sacks against the New Orleans Saints, winning the NFC Championship and moving on to play Super Bowl LII. In the Super Bowl, which was his first Super Bowl of his career, Suh recorded 2 tackles but the Rams lost 13-3 to the New England Patriots. The Rams did not offer Suh a new contract and Suh went on to sign a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on May 23, 2019.

On November 17, 2022 Suh signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.