Gerald McCoy

Gerald McCoy (born February 25, 1988) is an American Football defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. An All-American performer, McCoy was the third pick overall in the 2010 NFL Draft.

High school career
McCoy prepped at Southeast High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he was coached by Michael Branch. He also went to Jefferson Middle School in Oklahoma City. After notching 83 tackles, including 23 tackles for loss and 20 sacks, he was named All-area, all-state and all-metro as a junior in 2004. As a senior he logged 82 tackles, 20 sacks and recovered nine fumbles.

McCoy received numerous awards including 2005 National Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today. He was ranked as the top defensive tackle of the class of 2006 by a number of recruiting services, including Rivals.com. Following his stellar high school career, McCoy was invited to play in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. McCoy committed to the University of Oklahoma over USC, Notre Dame, and LSU.

2010 NFL Draft
McCoy, having been considered one of the top prospects of the 2009 NFL Draft, chose to participate in the 2010 NFL combine, which could raise his status very highly. , he was assumed to be a top-3 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and projects as either a 4-3 three-technique defensive tackle or a 3-4 defensive end at the professional level.

McCoy was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 3rd overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. McCoy and the Buccaneers agreed to a five-year, $63 million contract on July 31, 2010.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He recorded his first sack against the 49ers on November 21, 2010. His first multi-sack game came on November 28, 2010 when he sacked quarterback Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens twice. On December 12, 2010, McCoy suffered a torn left biceps, causing the team to place him on IR two days later.