OT: Should Lions trade Johnson for 1st pick/Suh?

Submitted by allHAILthedeat… on
I heard this a few days ago, and it peaked my interest: a certain radio personality (whom I like when he's not being a Sparty ass) suggested the Lions should trade Calvin Johnson for the ability to pick Ndamukong Suh in the 2010 Draft. Reasons I agree:
1. Calvin Johnson is going to require a lot (think highest paid reciever in the NFL) of money by the time the Lions get anywhere near good.*
2. The Lions seriously need defensive line help, bad.
3. Ndamukong Suh is the best defensive player to player college football since Charles Woodson, and he definitely should have won the Heisman. He had 82 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks. Compare this to the entire Alabama D line who had 135 T, 27 TFL, and 10 sacks (keep in mind: this includes all 9 of their D-Linemen who played this year combined, averaging to about 15 T, 3 TFL, and about 1 sack per person). This may seem like I'm playing the stats, but the best players have in each category: 32 T, 9 TFL, 6.5 sacks.
Conclusion: Ndamukong Suh is a freak. A once-in-a-lifetime player who is not only better than any two DT's out there, but he has the potential to make an entire defense better just by being there.
4. Because of 3, Suh will surely be gone by the time the Lions get to pick (currently 4th overall).
5. His name means "House of spears."
So, here's the trade proposal: C. Johnson and the Lions' 4th overall pick for the 1st overall and maybe a 2nd or 3rd round pick. The Lions subsequently draft Suh and have a true terror on D (finally). This allows the Lions to not worry about paying Calvin all the money he's going to demand while getting perhaps the best player of the last 3 drafts combined.
Yes, I get it: Calvin is great, but he (as a reciever) cannot affect a team the way a DT can because he requires a decent OL and a QB to help him out. Suh requires you turn him loose.
So MGoNation, what do you think? Good idea? Bad idea?
MGoBoard

BlueRaines

December 17th, 2009 at 2:13 PM ^

Suh is great in college but that does not necessarily mean that he is the next coming of... idk... Warren Sapp? Jared Allen? I understand the need to build up the defensive line but not at the expense of your best player. The only way I would trade Calvin is if they got a package of draft picks (1, 2, 3, 6 round or something). They should keep their number ~4 pick and see what they can get with that. There are no sure fire picks in the draft. Trading away a player that is established as a GREAT player for the chance to draft someone you think might be great is probably not the best idea.

Joined: 12/10/2009

MGoPoints: 861

Blueskins

December 17th, 2009 at 2:15 PM ^

I want to see the Stafford Calvin connection for years to come. The Lions offense needs it. I'd rather have Calvin and maybe draft Eric Berry for defensive help than have just Suh.

Joined: 12/01/2009

MGoPoints: 12

dex

December 17th, 2009 at 2:15 PM ^

Don't TB/Cleveland/STL have to, you know, agree to this trade? Or did you override the CPU? Did I miss the memo that the Bucs are a Calvin Johnson away from being contenders? Why do you assume that these teams want Johnson instead of Suh? Do you think they haven't seen the exact same stats you did? LONG TIME LISTENER MIKE I THINK THE LIONS SHOULD TRADE CALVIN AND PROSPECTS FOR BECKETT AND KOBE + A 1ST ROUND I DONT KNOW WHY THESE GMS ARE SO STUPID /back to my cave

Joined: 06/30/2008

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Simi Maquoketa

December 17th, 2009 at 2:21 PM ^

They went 0-16 the WRONG season! They can't even get this right! I'd be in favor of trading Johnson--but if the right team ends up there, maybe you they don't have to give up their first-round pick. Johnson is a bona fide #1--give the team you trade him to your second-round and maybe a fourth or fifth. That's still a pretty high value offer for an umproven guy, no matter how good he was in college. If this was a trade to make, I'd wait to see who drafts Suh. No need to do it before the draft--or certainly they could do while they are on the clock.

Joined: 12/03/2009

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gobluego

December 17th, 2009 at 2:27 PM ^

Suh looks like the real deal but we need to fill like 20 spots not 1. Trade down for more picks if anyone is willing to go for it, otherwise save $10 mil guaranteed and take one of the remaining defensive studs. Paying $30-$40 mil guaranteed for a guy who has never played a down in the NFL is ludicrous and is part of the reason the Lions are so bad. They always have their cap space chewed up by 1st round busts. If picked by another team, Suh will be the best DT ever. If chosen by the Lions, he will join Rogers selling dope within 5 years.

Joined: 11/19/2008

MGoPoints: 32

Trauber19

December 17th, 2009 at 4:58 PM ^

The lions have too many needs to go after one stud...they need to trade down if they can...if they can't...and can't get Suh...Take Eric Berry, take Russell Okung, take Gerald McCoy...I would not complain about the lions taking another great safety, a stud left tackle or the second best dt in the draft.

Joined: 12/15/2009

MGoPoints: 250

Dark Blue

December 17th, 2009 at 2:33 PM ^

everyone knows that Jimmy Claussen(sic?) will be drafted first, followed by Tim Tebow, and Sam Bradford will go third. That opens the door for the Lions to draft Suh. And if this happens, they will probably end up drafting Mark Ingram...../sarcasm

Joined: 10/02/2009

MGoPoints: -9388

enlightenedbum

December 17th, 2009 at 2:37 PM ^

They only have one offensive weapon... and the offense is the team's strength, frankly. At least when Stafford is healthy. Trading that weapon doesn't make sense. And obviously Suh seems like he's as can't miss as you can get, but nobody is 100% to be good. Wait for the draft order and hope other teams screw up. Though in an ideal world they get Suh and Graham falls to them in the second round.

Joined: 06/06/2009

MGoPoints: 64388

PitchAndCatch

December 17th, 2009 at 2:42 PM ^

Are you kidding me? Take our franchise QB 's (and #1 overall pick last year) ONLY target away a year after he starts getting acquainted with Calvin? Absolutely not. Calvin Johnson is a top 5 WR skill-wise in the league, and he'll only get better with time w/ Stafford. Physically, he's a freak of nature. While Suh is better and probably has a little better upside overall, Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy is also an absolute stud, and that is not a big drop-off. Especially nowhere NEAR as big of a drop-off as to warrant giving up Megatron to get Suh.

Joined: 10/17/2009

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Noahdb

December 17th, 2009 at 2:56 PM ^

The only position on offense that the Lions should address is left tackle (so they can move Backus to guard). Every other pick they have should go towards that awful, awful defense. If you're picking #4, look at someone like Taylor Mays or Eric Berry. The Lions don't have a single legitimate player in their defensive secondary. I know you don't normally draft a safety that high, but the Lions have extraordinary needs back there.

Joined: 07/21/2008

MGoPoints: 477

UMaD

December 17th, 2009 at 3:10 PM ^

1. SUH is going to require a lot of money by the time the Lions get anywhere near good.* 2. The Lions seriously need WR help, bad. (if CJ is gone) 3. Courtney Brown, Dan Wilkinson looked like the best defensive player to player college football since Charles Woodson, and he definitely should have won the Heisman. College stats don't matter for NFL production and theres great risk. You KNOW CJ is good. You THINK Suh will be. Bird in hand, potential et. 4. Suh will surely be gone by the time the Lions get to pick (currently 4th overall). But McCoy will not and has a chance of being a better player. 5. Megatron

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 4960

Jim Harbaugh S…

December 17th, 2009 at 3:38 PM ^

brought up a possible CJ trade the other day. TBL subsequently shat all over Sharp's article and rightfully so. http://thebiglead.com/?p=31804 Rams, Browns, and Bucs are the only teams likely to be picking before the Lions - Rams took D-linemen high in the last few drafts (Carricker and Long) so I don't see them taking Suh, the Browns run a 3-4 with Big Baby in the middle so I don't see them taking Suh, the Bucs maybe take Suh(with a rookie QB I think they will try to build around him on offense), So I think the Lions are likely to have a shot at Suh when they pick.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 577

mmc22

December 17th, 2009 at 4:16 PM ^

If I remember correctly CJ was a one in a decade player too and he actually looks like one in NFL. So what if he will require a lot of money, it will all be worth it. The problem is paying a bad player a lot of money not a deserving one. Do I want Suh? Absolutely, is he going to be good? I guess he will, but he will still be just one piece of the Lions puzzle. At this stage Lions cannot afford to pay such a steep price just to go up 3 spot in the draft. They need as many good players as they can get and having CJ and the #4 draft pick is way more valuable for them. Now remember a few years back NY Giants traded for E. Manning, another can't miss college player. What do you thing about that trade now? Who would you rather have? P. Rivers or E. Manning. Not to mention the draft picks San Diego got in the trade. You know what your problem is? You are like NHL where there's only one player worth talking about and that's S. Crosby. Guess what! We got our Crosby (CJ) and now we can settle for a Zetterberg (#4 pick). I can guaranty you that this draft will produce more than one stud player and the Lions will be in a very good position of drafting one with the #4 draft pick.

Joined: 11/18/2009

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gnarles woodson

December 17th, 2009 at 4:38 PM ^

let's not forget next year is an uncapped year and we have no idea how it is going to go after that. But assuming they have a similar system in place, why not trade the #4 pick and your 2nd round pick or maybe next year's #1 to move up to the top pick? Paying the #1 pick is going to cost a lot of money but paying the #4 pick isn't going to be cheap, either. If you believe Suh is going to be a once in a generation type guy, money shouldn't be the issue keeping you away from him. And this is all assuming St. Louis (or whoever ends up with the top pick) even wants to deal. Also, there is still a lot of football left to be played, I doubt very seriously that the Lions will be drafting lower than 2. Cleveland plays K.C. this week (a winnable game), that would move the Lions up. If St. Louis wins one more game (I highly doubt the Lions will) the Lions would move ahead of them due to the Rams beating the Lions earlier this year...you all should remember that barn burner. Talking about trading their best player is good for sports radio but it isn't a very smart move to actually make. OT: Can someone explain to me what there is to like about said radio show host? I have never found listening to a guy who yells over callers and will never admit he is wrong, very appealing.

Joined: 04/22/2009

MGoPoints: -164

Trauber19

December 17th, 2009 at 4:55 PM ^

AWFUL. If you are trading Calvin, you damn well better not have to give up the 4th overall pick. Not to mention...it helps the defense, but then you make your offense completely useless. Kevin Smith is going to take a while to recover, and what receivers do you have worthwhile other than Calvin? You want Stafford throwing to Bryant Johnson and Dennis "I Can't Catch" Northcutt?? It would handicap our offense while improving our defense no where near enough. Our defense as a whole (other than our starting linebackers when healthy) is atrocious. Philip Buchanon would serve as a good second corner for us, but he is not a number one by any means. Delmas is obviously very good, but two guys in the secondary doesn't do you jack squat. While Suh is a great talent. The Lions have too many needs to willingly dump the roster's best player. It would handicap our offense, while defense may win championships, if you trade your best offensive weapon, the other team will only need 7 points to beat us. Calvin cannot be traded, you give him whatever he wants to stay.

Joined: 12/15/2009

MGoPoints: 250

Va Azul

December 17th, 2009 at 6:55 PM ^

This draft is absolutely loaded with defensive line talent. You're going to be able to pick-up a top-flight DT/DE at the top of the second round. Okung might not be Orlando Pace and it might not be conventional wisdom to take a DB in the top 4 but you might have to look at Okung or Berry with the first pick and take the best DL available in the 2nd. DL: Suh (Neb) McCoy (OU) Dunlap (Fla) Cody (Ala) Hardy (Miss) Morgan (GT) Graham (obv) Jones (Syr) Austin (UNC) Pierre-Paul (SoFla) Cunningham (Fla) Griffen (USC) Williams (Tenn) Odrick (PSU) Selvie (SoFla) DB: Berry (Tenn) Mays (USC) Haden (Fla) Arenas (Ala) Lindley (U-K) Dowling (UVa) Ghee (Wake) Cox (OkSt) Thompson (Cal) Lewis (Vandy) Jackson (Ala) Thurmond (Ore) LB: McClain (Ala); Spikes (Fla) Beal (OU) Kindle (U-T) Jones (MSU) Lewis (OU) Witherspoon (Mizz) Lang (Troy) Johnson (U-K) Morgan (USC) Lee (PSU) Bowman (PSU)

Joined: 09/13/2008

MGoPoints: 99

ArborBlue

December 17th, 2009 at 8:12 PM ^

Suh is labeled as a can't miss guy, but until he actually proves it in the NFL, nobody "can't miss". Take for instance, Reggie Bush, who was pretty much anointed a HOF'er before even setting foot in the NFL. Now let's say a team were to trade an established WR, a 2 or 3 year former high draft pick that has actually fulfilled some of his massive potential, say, oh I don't know, Larry Fitzgerald? Keep in mind, in 2006, Larry Fitzgerald was very good, and had fulfilled some of that potential, but had yet to break out, so he would probably have brought back even less than Calvin would now. How would trading Fitz and their first rounder in 2006 for Bush and a first rounder have worked out? Would they have made it to the superbowl last year? Probably not. Now, I realize that this scenario will not always happen, but it's not usually a good idea to trade established stars for guys that might be stars, and throw in our first rounder to boot.

Joined: 08/27/2008

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EZMIKEP

December 18th, 2009 at 4:48 AM ^

Sorry bro but drafting Stafford and then getting rid of Calvin makes ZERO sense. If that guy was on any premier team in the league he would be the best receiver in the NFL hands down. The only gripe I have with CJ is that he can't stay healthy. Trading him for the 1st pick straight up is ridiculous let alone for our 4th pick too. I think we will get somebody great with our top pick and in the end it will be best to keep Calvin. WRs like that only come around a couple times every decade or so. That guy is Moss with a T.O. body and great hands. If he was in Arizona, Indy, NE, NO, SD etc. it would be highlight reel heaven for ESPN. You don't trade a future HOF for a "possible" HOF.

Joined: 10/13/2008

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