2011 NFL Draft: Nick Fairley Drafted by the Detroit Lions

May 8, 2011   ·   Sean Merriman   ·   Jump to comments

2011 NFL Draft: How will Nick Fairley do in his rookie season with the Detroit Lions?

The Detroit Lions had a long list of players they were hoping to land with the No. 13 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. But, never did they expect Auburn DT Nick Fairley to be available at that point.

Defensive tackle was not a position of need for Detroit, but when Fairley fell to them, he was impossible to pass up. The thought of Fairley and Ndamukong Suh playing next to each other on that defensive line, should really strike fear in opposing quarterbacks.

Fairley is in a great position to succeed because it’s not possible to double team both him and Suh, which always leaves one of them with an advantage. It has been said that the former Auburn star can be lazy at times, but Suh has the ultimate work ethic, and will not let that stand.

Right now, Patrick Peterson has to be the favorite for NFL rookie of the year. But after that, it wouldn’t be outrageous to say that Nick Fairley could win that award just as well.

In fact, from a production standpoint, I see Fairley putting up bigger numbers and having a greater impact on his team, than any other rookie drafted in the NFC North this year.