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Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was one of the top performers at his position during his college career. Get to know more about him by reading his comments to the media at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine.**
Q: What are your thoughts about possibly being the No. 1 pick and how do you separate yourself from Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh?A: It's an honor, a dream. I'm just happy to be considered to even play in the NFL. It's a life dream; I've always wanted to play. Years of hard work have been paying off. It's great. To be considered to be a possible No. 1 pick is a great honor.
Q: Which defensive system do you fit best - the Rams or Lions?A: Both of them attack. I've seen tape on both teams and either one would be fine with me. A one or two pick, a third pick, a 15th pick, a pick is good for me. I just want to get picked.
Q: What are your strengths and assets?A: I have a strong work ethic. I try to outwork the opponent that I'm going against. The thing with me is - I hate giving the person I'm going against an opportunity to say, "I won." That's anything I do. If we're playing cards, I don't want to give you the opportunity to say, "Oh yeah, I beat you." That's just the mentality I have, my father instilled that in me. I just continue. It's what I do.
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Q: What makes you so a good at penetrating the line of scrimmage?**A: It's just what I was coached. Coach Jackie Shipp has coached me real hard for a number of years. I went to the Oklahoma football camp in high school and a lot of it came from there too. It's just continued, especially after National Signing Day when I said I was going to OU. It started right then. That's just the defense and how he coaches, the technique he coaches, I just picked up on it.
Q: Why does Nebraska's defensive scheme allow Suh to make so many tackles, whereas Oklahoma's scheme limited your tackle totals?A: The thing is, with us penetrating, we're more disruptors. We disrupt the play and make sure it doesn't get passed the line of scrimmage. So if we get in the backfield and mess up the handoff, the guy has to bounce it and makes it easy on the linebackers to get where it needs to be. We're not holding guys off for the linebackers, we penetrate and if you make the play, you make the play. Whereas the thing they do is they two-gap. They punch the man and if he comes here, you throw him off. If he comes here, you throw him off, whereas I'm getting up field. So I can get up field and disrupt and make (the running back) bounce all the way out. (Suh) just lets him come to him and there it is. They play the run with five people, six people. We've got everybody moving. It's just two different defenses.
Q: Do you have a favorite disruptive moment in your career?A: One time in little league I tackled three people. They ran and I came through and the quarterback he didn't know who to*give it to so I just grabbed everybody. They were all right there and I was like "How do I play this?" Everybody looks at *you like "Did you just grab three people?" That should let you know how big of a kid I was. I might have been 11 maybe. When I was 12 years old I was 238 pounds. When I weighed in, because you always had to weigh in, I wanted to be a running back. I knew I had some moves I just wasn't as fast as everybody else. We weighed in and I got in the car and my sister said "How much do you weigh?" I said "Just 238," she said "Gee, you're 12."
Q: What are your thoughts on being a leader?
A: Being a leader has just always come natural to me. People follow me just because, I don't know why, it's probably my smile. It is great I know. It's just always come natural to me. Like I said, I was raised to be a leader not a follow, and it's just in me it's just natural. I was picked as a captain my sophomore year. When Coach Stoops called out the captains and he called my name last.
