July 30, when players first report to training camp, is right around the corner. As of now, the Lions' first round draft pick, Ndamukong Suh, can't report because he remains unsigned. His agent and the Lions are working quickly to see that Suh can report on time and practice July 31 when the team takes the field:
Suh's value to the Lions is all that counts, agent Roosevelt Barnes insists. That rules out using previous rookie contracts as a negotiating standard -- including the six-year deal signed last year by quarterback Matthew Stafford, drafted first overall by the Lions. Stafford's contract had $41.7 in guaranteed money, a rookie record.
As Sean mentioned in the previous update, the Lions like to wait up until training camp before signing their draft picks to get a better feel for what other top picks are making. Unfortunately, that strategy isn't lost on other teams, so that's often why hold outs happen. I don't suspect that will hold the Lions back from pulling the trigger with Suh before training camp, though.
Despite the quote above, my guess is Suh's deal will wind up being similar to what last year's No. 2 overall pick, OT Jason Smith, received -- 5 years, $61.775 million ($33M guaranteed). It's a lot of money, but Suh will be every bit of deserving of it.