Ndamukong Suh retires from the NFL: Thanks to one of the best Lions of the 21st century

One of the best Detroit Lions players of the 21st century has officially hung up his football cleats. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh announced his retirement from the NFL this weekend.

Suh was the Lions' first-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, the No. 2 overall pick. He would play his first five seasons in Detroit, quickly proving to be an impact talent and cornerstone of the rise up from the winless 2008 squad to a team that competed hard in a couple of postseasons.

Suh was a divisive figure. His hostile, physical style of play earned him a reputation around the league as a "dirty" player. The infamous "Suh stomp" on Aaron Rodgers in a 2014 game against the Green Bay Packers was the most notorious, but there's a timeline of nefarious plays from Suh's time in Detroit that made him known as much for being dirty as for being one of the NFL's best at his position.

And that he was. Suh earned the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2010 with 10 sacks, 66 tackles, one INT and a scoop-and-score touchdown. Not only was Suh the DROY, he was a first-team All-Pro as a rookie. Suh would earn that accolade in three of his five Detroit seasons and was second-team All-Pro in another. He finished his five seasons with the Lions by registering 238 tackles, 36 sacks, 98 QB hits, 15 PDs, two forced fumbles and one safety.

Suh was always known for his off-field business acumen and savvy. That proved problematic for Detroit when Suh hit free agency and he was able to capitalize on the market, signing with the Miami Dolphins and exploiting the state of Florida's lack of income tax to earn more on the same contract than he would have in Michigan. While still a formidable player for several more years, Suh never recaptured his Lions-era heights. He last played for the Eagles in 2022.

On a personal front, Suh remains one of the five highest-graded defensive prospects in my 22 years evaluating NFL draft prospects, and the highest-graded defensive lineman. His blend of power, quickness off the snap and relentlessness to punish the opposing QB (or RB) was readily evident in his collegiate days at Nebraska. I'm thrilled that he got to play his best years in Detroit and help restore some roar to the Lions at a time when there hadn't been a lot recently to be proud of with the franchise. Suh will always be one of my favorite Lions.

Enjoy retirement, and I'm looking forward to Suh's eventual induction into the Pride of the Lions.

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Former Detroit Lions star DT Ndamukong Suh retires from the NFL