Two seasons out, all the questions about who should take whom in the 2010 NFL Draft seem a little more—well, low stakes than usual. The Detroit Lions, who host the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, haven't had significantly more luck with Ndamukong Suh than the Rams have with Sam Bradford. Now the first two picks will meet on Ford Field to open their third seasons as high-priced minor disappointments—and the last season in which fans will be hoping unreservedly for a breakout.
Matthew Stafford—the 2009 No. 1, and another key figure in Sunday's game—is an example of this sort of thing turning out all right. But while both players have been saying the right things—Sam Bradford insists he's not injured and feels great, Ndamukong Suh is focused on this season—they could find themselves rapidly moving from the center of their franchises to the bubble with a poor performance in their junior year.
All that starts Sunday. And while it's possible for both of them to have a good game, it seems like one of the two titans of the 2010 draft is likely to start off their 2012 season with something of a bad omen.