Gerald McCoy: NFL Draft Profile
Posted on 18. Feb, 2010 by Brandon LaClair in Defensive Line, NFL Draft Player Profiles
We’ll take a look at Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy as he enters the 2010 NFL Draft. We will examine his strengths/weaknesses, college career and our expectations for his upcoming NFL career.
Strengths
• Penetration: McCoy is great at infiltrating blocking schemes specifically designed to stop him
• Aggressive: Ability to break up a play before it develops
• Explosive: Anticipates snap count well; explodes on the offensive lineman immediately
Weaknesses
• Lack of Bulk: Must add muscle mass to maintain equivalency to the strength that an offensive lineman brings to the table
(All statistical information obtained from Wikipedia.com and NFLDraftDog.com)
Throughout McCoy’s college career, he was the central dominant force and his overwhelming presence has led up to this point where McCoy is the second best defensive tackle and a potential top-5 selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.
McCoy’s career stats include 83 tackles (49 solo), 33 tackles for loss, 14 ½ sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles and 18 quarterback hurries.
McCoy’s accolades: Two Time First Team All-American.
Two Time First Team All Big-12.
While McCoy’s statistics weren’t as prevalent as his draft stock would indicate, his unspoken responsibility on the Oklahoma defense was to push the pocket up the middle, which would lead to the Oklahoma linebackers shooting the gaps to get to the quarterback. A defensive tackle that can command constant double teams is as much an asset to a defense as any position on the defense, and that is what McCoy will bring to an NFL defense.
McCoy will go in the top-5 in this year’s NFL Draft. Along with Ndamukong Suh, NFL teams will be clamoring for the services of these two emerging superstars because the tackle position is the least-talented in the NFL league wide. If the team that drafts McCoy runs a 4-3 defense, McCoy will be an amazing fit as a defensive end because of his speed and aggressiveness; there is no doubt in my mind that he will beat a tackle dependably. Unless he packs on 15-20 more pounds, it’s doubtful that McCoy will be a good fit in the 3-4, because he doesn’t resemble a traditional nose tackle with the size and strength to push the pocket back into the quarterback’s face. A good example of a traditional nose tackle would be Gilbert Brown who was a former Packer anchor in the 90’s. McCoy possesses far too much speed to be wasted on the interior of the line and the team that picks him will realize that fast once he steps foot into camp.
It’s our assertion that McCoy will be a huge success in the NFL. He resembles Julius Peppers in the sense that his speed and length will give offensive coordinators nightmares. As I previously stated, he will surely beat the tackle off the edge constantly and even if he doesn’t get to the quarterback, he will limit the quarterback’s mobility inside the pocket and give other players a chance to make plays. Gerald McCoy has all of the traits to be a superstar in the league; he will surely be a Pro Bowl caliber player for years to come.
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