2010 NFL Draft Detroit Lions: Ndamukong Suh Press Conference Transcript

After the pick of Ndamukong Suh, second overall, Detroit Lions' General Manager Martin Mayhew took to the podium to discuss the pick. Direct quotes courtesy of Detroit Lions' media relations.

My thoughts are indented and italicized.

LIONS GM MARTIN MAYHEW

On drafting Ndamukong Suh second overall: "Great player, better person, very disruptive, very productive. He's the kind of guy that makes the people around him better and we're very excited to have him join our team. He's going to be a great player for us."

"Better Person:" If you're looking to see why many highly picked DTs/DEs were busts, it is because many lacked that quality. They were lazy, either on the field or in practice. What makes Suh a better pick than Gerrard Warren? Nothing physical, it's all about character. 

On whether there was the same type of consensus on making this decision as there was in selecting QB Matthew Stafford: "Absolutely—exactly the same feeling in the room as we had last year with Stafford. Everybody is on board; everybody feels great about this player and we have the exact same feel as last year."

On whether there were any calls trade-wise: "We had some conversations yesterday and today, but at the end of the day, to have the opportunity to get a player like Ndamukong Suh is something that you just can't pass up. He was too good to pass up."

Very early in the draft process, I wrote an article about how the best draft might NOT include Suh, speaking of a trade down. In the end, it would've taken a Herschel Walker-type deal to get the Lions to take Suh. Still, had the Rams taken Suh, the Lions could've gotten a haul for that pick...what might have been. 

On whether the fan sentiment for Suh played into the decision: "No, it did not. We made the best decision for this organization, for this football team and it's kind of like last year. There was a lot of fan sentiment for (Aaron) Curry and we took Stafford. I think now the fan sentiment is very strong for Matthew. We'll take the best player for us and we trust that it's going to work out that way and the fans will see that when these guys take the field."

Still, it is crazy how the Millen regime was famous for picks that made you go "hmm" while Mayhew has made several picks in the last two years...Stafford, Pettigrew, Delmas, and now Suh and Best that the fans understand, and MAKE SENSE. 

On how long ago the decision was made: "I'd say a couple of days ago it was finalized. I think there was a lot of debate back and forth. There was a lot of good options there. We started to narrow it down, it came down to the two defensive players and Ndamukong was the one that we chose."

Would love to have seen Gunther and Schwartz' reaction to any scouts and/or front office personnel asking for Okung or Williams.

On how tricky it would have become if St. Louis had selected Suh: "I have no idea. I could care less. I'm excited to have him; I'm excited about where we are right now and I'm looking forward to getting back to work."

On why defensive tackles that have been drafted first or second haven't become stars: "Not my concern at all. Like I said before, you have to believe what you see on film and I saw great things out of this player on film and I feel great about it."

Character, work ethic, drive.

For the Jim Schwartz presser, check out Blue and Silver Pride

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Michael Schottey operates Blue And Silver Pride and is a Detroit Lions featured columnist for Bleacher Report . He also serves as a team correspondent for DraftTek.com and is a guest blogger for Mlive's Highlight Reel . Check out his Podcasts and add him on Twitter