With St. Louis a near-leadpipe lock to take QB Sam Bradford and Detroit almost certainly considering big OT Russell Okung, there's a chance our dream scenario could unfold next Thursday........the best two defensive tackles on the board sitting there for the picking. Either one would be the top-rated tackle and arguably the top-rated defender in any other draft. There together. For the picking. For our Tampa Bay Buccaneers. No doubt an envious position for our organization to be in.
However, if the Bucs are faced with such an incredible Heather-Graham-or-Selma-Hayek scenario, they're going to actually have to make a choice. Which way would they go? According to Michael Lombardi of the National Football Post, the Buccaneer brass currently rates Ndamukong Suh over Gerald McCoy.
As the "Suh or McCoy, McCoy or Suh" debate has permeated the Buccaneer blogosphere, many Buccaneer fans have taken sides on which player they want. For those who have reserved judgment and are attempting to make up their minds, here are my draft reports on Suh and McCoy. Also, check out the FanShot that UNFNOLE put together recently on the issue.
Now, I've read alot of comments on here (and on other sites) that many people assume McCoy would be a better fit for the Buccaneers' Tampa 2 because of his explosive first step off the snap and his pocket-collapsing ability, which is a premium for an under tackle in the Tampa 2 system. Like it or not, the Warren Sapp comparisons have come rolling off the tongues of some media personas when discussing McCoy's skill sets. However, issues about his strength arose at the combine based upon his performance on the bench press, which in itself is ridiculous. McCoy managed well against Quality division 1 competition and didn't appear to get pushed around or physically-worked by opposing linemen.
As for Suh, don't count out his ability to get into the gap quickly, As this ESPN video shows, Suh is an extremely rare blend of speed and power. Suh actually tested the fastest at reaction to the snap out of ALL players that Sports Science tested, blowing off the line a mere 26 hundredths of a second past the whistle with a low pad level that maximizes his ability to continue to drive back the offensive lineman who's gap he just blasted through. The force he delivered at impact was the highest Sport Science has every measured...even higher than Ray Lewis and Kris Jenkins. As McCoy's penetrating first step has generally been considered by some as an offset to Suh's freakish strength, Suh's impressive reaction at the snap and acceleration makes him an awfully, awfully attractive option in my book. I can't blame the Bucs if they prefer him over McCoy.
So who've you got? There is no right or wrong answer here in my book. I just want to hear some reasoning as to why. Let's hear it.