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Casey Hampton has been the rock in the middle of our 3-4 for the last decade (listed at 6'1" 325 lbs, but we all know that he probably hasn't seen 325 lbs. since high school). However, he is aging, and his play has been slipping somewhat. He was replaced by Chris Hoke in the lineup this past weekend because of injury, and Hokie played well, but he is even older than Big Snack is. We have Steve McLendon, but his 6'4" 280 lbs. build seems more like a 3-4 DE body than a 3-4 NT body (he's one of these guys that Tomlin loves because of his positional flexibility). He could potentially function as our Hoke of the future, the undersized backup (Hokie's listed at 6'2" 305 lbs.) who fills in for the big, beefy starter every now and then. The problem is, we don't have a big, beefy starter of the future at nose tackle. And in the draft, there Alameda Ta'amu from Washington, but he may be off the board before we select in the first round, and I don't see another high quality NT prospect in the draft pool at this point. So, where do we look? Where does Colbert always look? Detroit, of course!
The Lions have an embarrassment of riches at DT at the moment. Suh is already the best in the business, and they absolutely stole Nick Fairley in the mid-first. Now that Fairley is healthy and able to play as of this Monday night, they may be willing to move one of their other DT's for a future draft pick. Beyond those two youngsters, they have veteran Corey Williams (who flamed out in Cleveland where he was miscast as a 3-4 DE...but he was a solid 4-3 DT when he was in Green Bay before that) and Andre Fluellen in his 4th year out of Florida State (also better suited for a 4-3 than a 3-4). That's a solid DT rotation for them with those 4 guys, so perhaps they could net a solid draft pick for their other DT, Sammie Lee Hill, who seems like he would actually be better suited for our 3-4 than their 4-3.
I really liked Sammie Lee Hill coming out of tiny Stillman College a couple of years ago. He's listed at a solid 6'4" 329 lbs. He has already shown that his game does transfer from the SIAC to the NFL (not a failed small school project like Jamain Stephens). He was a 4th round pick by the Lions in 2009...perhaps we could get him for a 3rd round pick next year. Then we'd have our starting NT of the future, and would still have our top 2 picks to address OL and ILB (or possibly add more talent in the secondary if the right guy falls). His salary is only $480,000 this year since he is still working off his rookie deal, and he is scheduled to be a restricted free agent next year, so we could keep in with an RFA tender before ultimately extending him long term.
The Lions have an embarrassment of riches at DT at the moment. Suh is already the best in the business, and they absolutely stole Nick Fairley in the mid-first. Now that Fairley is healthy and able to play as of this Monday night, they may be willing to move one of their other DT's for a future draft pick. Beyond those two youngsters, they have veteran Corey Williams (who flamed out in Cleveland where he was miscast as a 3-4 DE...but he was a solid 4-3 DT when he was in Green Bay before that) and Andre Fluellen in his 4th year out of Florida State (also better suited for a 4-3 than a 3-4). That's a solid DT rotation for them with those 4 guys, so perhaps they could net a solid draft pick for their other DT, Sammie Lee Hill, who seems like he would actually be better suited for our 3-4 than their 4-3.
I really liked Sammie Lee Hill coming out of tiny Stillman College a couple of years ago. He's listed at a solid 6'4" 329 lbs. He has already shown that his game does transfer from the SIAC to the NFL (not a failed small school project like Jamain Stephens). He was a 4th round pick by the Lions in 2009...perhaps we could get him for a 3rd round pick next year. Then we'd have our starting NT of the future, and would still have our top 2 picks to address OL and ILB (or possibly add more talent in the secondary if the right guy falls). His salary is only $480,000 this year since he is still working off his rookie deal, and he is scheduled to be a restricted free agent next year, so we could keep in with an RFA tender before ultimately extending him long term.
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