Before Suh, the last DT drafted in top 5 to make a Pro Bowl was Sean Gilbert in '92

[Sam Mills Fan]

People like to talk about the risks of drafting a quarterback, but a defensive tackle being drafted that high presents just as much a risk if not more so.

Here are the defensive tackles drafted in the top 5 since Cortez Kennedy was drafted #3 overall in 1990 and went on to have a Hall of Fame career:

Russell Maryland #1 overall in 1993: Bust

Sean Gilbert #3 overall in 1992: Bust (although at least he made a Pro Bowl one year)

Dan Wilkinson #1 overall in 1994: Bust

Darrell Russell #2 overall in 1997: Bust

Gerard Warren #3 overall in 2001: Bust

Dewayne Robertson #3 overall in 2003: Bust

Glenn Dorsey #5 overall in 2008: Bust

Ndamukong Suh #2 overall in 2010: Not a bust

Gerald McCoy #3 overall in 2010: Too soon to tell, he was just okay this season (and he's the one I keep hearing analysts compare Fairley to)

No one thinks that Fairley is as good as Suh, so why would you draft him a full spot ahead of where Suh went last season? That's incredibly poor value you're getting there. If you are Ron Rivera and Marty Hurney and you want to pick Nick Fairley, PLEASE find a way to trade down so if he busts, at least we could recoup a pick close to our wasted one we traded for Armanti.

In closing, I'm 100% anti-Nick Fairley at #1. He is similar to Peppers in that he takes plays off at times, yet doesn't possess nearly the talent that Peppers had nor the talent Suh has. And history shows that picking defensive tackles that high usually doesn't end well.

[The Saltman]

so who would u pick if we cant trade down?

[Cat'sGrowl]

Whistles..

[Udogg]

Dorsey isn't a bust btw.. he has played well this year. Not trying to disregard your post, just putting that out there.

[Sam Mills Fan]

Not Fairley. I'd look at the other leading candidates and see how they do at the combine and take it from there. But I've seen Fairley more than any of the other candidates besides Cam Newton and I know he's not the guy to take at #1.

[Sam Mills Fan]

Dorsey played okay this season. Not nearly good enough to warrant a #3 pick overall, especially not when you remember the incredible hype he had coming out of LSU. There were lots of people that thought he was going to go #1 overall that year.

[CatMan72]

It's true there have been plently of busts at DT, now let's see a list of busts at WR's drafted in the top 5 over that same period of time....

[ncbobcat]

Detroit had two or three alone!!!

[countryboi]

drafting in the top 5 of the draft has always been high risk/ high reward this is nothing new it just highlights all the crappy DTs.....you could do the same with just about any position.

[HSCBandit07]

not with kicker drafted top 5 overall....

[Sam Mills Fan]

You could list another position that has come close to 7 and possibly 8 out of the 9 players at that position that have been drafted in the top 5 overall have been busts? Go ahead and list another position with that high of a failure rate that high, I'm curious.

[Sam Mills Fan]

(In the past 20 years)

[frash.exe]

Detroit had two or three alone!!!

fail

[MaineManPanther]

Dorsey played okay this season. Not nearly good enough to warrant a #3 pick overall, especially not when you remember the incredible hype he had coming out of LSU. There were lots of people that thought he was going to go #1 overall that year.

A decent amount of it has to do with him being in a 3-4 defence. Which doesn't play to his best strengths. He's better suited for a 4-3.