The Detroit Lions have a strong defensive tandem. First came Ndamukong Suh, then came Nick Fairley and then came Ezekiel Ansah. Those three alone created one of the better defensive lines in the league with all three having the ability to pass rush and be a serious threat to the quarterback. So why would the Lions be bringing in Jadeveon Clowney for a pre-draft visit?
Let the speculation run wild as to why Clowney is visiting with the Lions on Wednesday. According to Tim Twentyman of the Lions website the defensive end will be meeting with the coaching staff. After announcing that he would no longer be working out for any teams before the draft in May, Clowney took a visit to the Lions who make their first selection at No. 10. Clowney will not be around at No. 10. He could very easily go in the top two picks baring any sort of unexpected drop. The Lions do not need Clowney, unless they were worried that one of their top defensive stars might not be around much longer.
The Clowney visit comes at an interesting time for Detroit. Suh is currently attempting to negotiate a contract extension and so far talks are not going well. Lions team president Tom Lewand remaind hopeful that a deal will get done prior to the start of the season, claiming talks are civil and productive and he has faith all will work out. Suh is entering the final year of his contract and is expected to command a deal that will make him one of the highest paid players. He is already a $22.4 million cap hit in 2014, something the Lions would love to lower. Already unhappy, Suh has yet to be present during any offseason workouts, something the coaching staff is trying to downplay.
"From a coaching standpoint, obviously we do this for a living and we'd like to have him every minute of every day, every single player, as often as we possibly can just to get our system in place and all those kind of things. But here's the thing: He's a very, very thoughtful individual, who's kind of got his life planned out. We talked - as a matter of fact I probably talked to him more than any other player from the time that I got the job until he (off-season workouts started), so you have a real good sense of what his plan was going to be," head coach Jim Caldwell said, via the Detroit Free Press.
But what happens if a deal does not get done. Fairley has already been declined a 2015 option. The Lions certainly have zero intentions of letting Suh walk away at any time, but things are not pointing in a great direction. Could Clowney eventually be the future of their defense? According to ESPN.com the Lions are interested in trading up in the draft for a wide receiver to pair with Calvin Johnson or Golden Tate, but getting Clowney would certainly be a nice option.
Who knows why Clowney is in Detroit. The Lions could simply be doing their pre-draft due-diligence and getting a look at all the top players to hype of interest from other teams, or there could be a bigger purpose.
