2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft: Pick No. 3

Rd. # Player Pos. College 1 3 Gerald McCoy DT Oklahoma General Manager: Hyperion Ecta

With the third pick of the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

Here is Hyperion Ecta's reasoning for the pick:

This was always one of the more obvious selections in the 2010 NFL Draft. Tampa Bay is in dire need of an effective defensive tackle and there just happens to be two quality players at that position in this draft, so the Bucs have struck gold in that regard. With Ndamukong Suh off the board the Bucs are stuck with Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy and believe me, he's not a bad guy to be stuck with.

Gerald McCoy gives Tampa Bay a potentially game-breaking presence at the 3-technique. McCoy has the innate ability to slide through the protection and find his way to the ballcarrier. McCoy's speed, agility, quickness and motor allow him to make plays against the run where he shows great pursuit, range and tackling ability. However, his real power comes from his capability to rush the passer. His natural athleticism allows him to get the upper-hand on blockers where his technique and excellent burst allow him to close the deal. Character concerns are also not a problem for the Oklahoma graduate as he is a very personable prospect who is a leader both on and off the field.

Continued after the jump...

If there are any concerns with McCoy's abilities it is with his lack of production, especially when compared to Suh. McCoy only managed 14.5 sacks in 40 games with 33 TFL. This is not bad by any means but someone who's often placed on the same level as Suh should maybe have notched a few more sacks. In saying that, though, McCoy was often rotated in and out as part of Oklahoma's front four, therefore playing fewer snaps. There has also been some concern over McCoy's 'lack' of strength and his inability to beat some double teams. This may be a legitimate concern but I believe that NFL weight training can help alleviate some of those fears.

There has been a lot of talk on POD lately about fit so I thought I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how McCoy would fit within Tampa's team. Currently, Tampa's defensive tackles are Chris Hovan, Ryan Sims, Roy Miller and Kyle Moore. Yeah, that's not much, is it? McCoy would give that unit a huge boost, especially since the DTs combined for 4 of the Bucs' 31 sacks (Miller led with 2 sacks). The DTs also only managed 20% of all the QB hits managed by Tampa, clearly showing how much a pass-rushing force from the inside is needed.

The only other choice I could have considered at this position is Eric Berry, the safety from Tennessee. Berry is a fine prospect (as GRLion can attest to), but I find it hard to fathom that the Bucs would choose Berry over McCoy, especially with all the problems they have up front. In the end, this is a fairly simple choice. Tampa starts off their draft with a top prospect who fills a huge need and hopefully provides the Bucs with a huge force up the middle.

Check out the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.