Lions' Jim Schwartz: Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy compares to draft darling Ndamukong Suh
By Tom Kowalski
April 11, 2010, 8:00AM
This is the first segment of a 12-part series on the NFL draft and some of the prospects the Detroit Lions will consider in the top three rounds. Today: Gerald McCoy. Monday: Jahvid Best.

ALLEN PARK -- If it's possible to be one of the top three picks in the NFL draft and an invisible man, Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy is pulling it off.

McCoy, a talented and versatile defensive tackle, is being overshadowed by media darling Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska's brilliant defensive tackle. The Detroit Lions have the No. 2 overall pick in the April 22 draft, and coach Jim Schwartz said there really is no discernible difference between the two players.

"They were asked to do different things," said Schwartz, adding that Suh would have been successful with Oklahoma's attacking style and McCoy would have prospered in Nebraska's two-gap defense. "You look for different characteristics, and I think both of those guys fit what we're looking for, and I think both of them would do well in what we would ask them to do."

The kind of defense the Lions want to employ -- play the run on the way to the quarterback -- is much closer to the kind of scheme McCoy played at Oklahoma.

McCoy said he has played that aggressive style since he attended an Oklahoma football camp during his high school days.

"With us penetrating, we're more disruptors," McCoy said at the NFL's scouting combine. "We disrupt the play and make sure it doesn't get past the line of scrimmage."

McCoy said he and Suh know how closely they are linked and that they have enjoyed a friendly rivalry.

"We're real good friends," McCoy said. "Everybody is expecting us to be bumping heads. The day we met, we met on the field and he said, 'Go out there and ball out, go get that money.' I said the same thing to him, and it's been like that ever since."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the third overall pick and are expected to take Suh or McCoy, perhaps the player who is left after Detroit's selection.

"You're talking about two dynamic guys and two guys who bring dynamic aspects to the game," Bucs coach Raheem Morris said. "You're talking about two guys who are slightly different but are both dominant. They were asked to do two different things.

"(McCoy) might have the (run-stopping) power that Suh has, but he's just not asked to do it."

There have been questions about whether defensive tackle is a position that has enough impact to be worthy of a high pick. The St. Louis Rams have the first overall choice and are expected to take Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, but they have not ruled out Suh or McCoy.

"I think you can justify any position -- almost any position -- if you feel like that person is going to be enough of an impact on your team in the first year," Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "I remember in Philly in the 2000 draft, we somehow ended up with the sixth pick and took (defensive tackle) Corey Simon. Corey came in and started the first game and got a sack on his very first play of the game. I think he made a difference."

While Suh seems to get the nod over McCoy in the court of public opinion, when coaches talk about the best defensive tackle in the draft, they don't separate the two.

"Both guys are really, really impressive," Spagnuolo said.

I think that Suh has the bigger potential to bust when compared to McCoy. Suh isn't that big, and he doesn't have the prototypical body of an NFL DT. I think his best use may come as a 3-4 DE, which is a position that we really don't have much use for. I think that Suh has the potential to get bullied and beat up by NFL OG's (who are much larger than college OG's). I really don't think that Suh is the sure-fire NFL pro-bowl caliber player that everyone is making him out to be...

WJB - after watching him for 4 games I hope you have come around.

There were some debates around here, Suh vs. McCoy and just like in college Suh's is much more productive...

Suh = 13 tackles, 3 sacks
McCoy = 3 tackles, 0 sacks

Well done Schwartz, Mayhew and company...

Attitude?

So he wants to kill quarterbacks. Whats wrong with that?

Personally, i love that attitude.


No offense, but you just cant please some Lions fans.

I also have on good authority that he said he wants the Lions to win their remaining home games.

I think that everyone in the Detroit Lions organization wants this as well. What's your point?