It seems like every year there is one big debate between two of the top prospects. Stafford or Sanchez? Jake Long or Chris Long? Etc.

Based off the Big 12 Title game, most fans viewed Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska as the top overall prospect for the 2010 NFL draft. However, in scouting circles, there is a debate about whether he’s the top prospect at his position.

One notable instance where this is the case is Mike Mayock, NFL Network’s prominent and well-respect draft analysts who has Gerald McCoy of Oklahoma ahead of Suh in his rankings.

So, we’ll compare these prospects at the most important scouting attributes and determine who’s the better of the two based on pure scouting from the 2008 and 2009 season.

Athletic Ability
Athletic ability is an extremely broad set of skills too put under one umbrella category, but because it isn’t very crucial to defensive tackles to go into each point of measuring athleticism, we’ll categorize it as one.

Both move and change direction as well as any defensive tackle in recent memory. They can run like linebackers at the college level and pivot in pass rushing very effectively.

Also, both are very flexible and can maneuver their body to maximize leverage as well as make the acrobatic tackle.

Because both are supreme athletes for defensive tackles, it’s tough to give one an edge over the other. However, because Suh is more of a nose tackle and had to deal with more double teams and still showed these skills, I’ll give him the slight edge in this battle.

Edge: Suh, Close


Strength
The age old test for a lineman, strength isn’t exactly what coaches focus on, but every coach expects.

Having strength allows defensive tackles to not necessarily win battles with guards or tackles, but makes it much harder to lose those battles altogether.

McCoy’s strength comes from his great lower body strength and his great technique in generating push with his legs and leverage, which we’ll get to later. However, he doesn’t have elite upper body strength.

Suh, however, has both great lower body strength and the upper body strength to push two defenders at once. He can take on multiple blockers and still push forward and move both.

For that reason, the raw strength batter has to go to the Suh and his ability to be a hole clogger.

Edge: Suh


Quickness
Maybe more important that strength, quickness has become a key factor in the pass rushing, play disrupting league the NFL is now.

No longer are defensive tackles only supposed to take up space and occasionally make tackles before they got to the tackle-hungry linebackers.

McCoy breaks in and out of blockers smoothly and can move laterally very quickly. He also moves so well off the snap and as he begins his pass rush that he quickly gets into better position than his opponent and beats him

Suh breaks very quickly off the snap and as he begins to engage his blockers as well. He has great agility and uses his quickness to keep blockers off balance.

Because McCoy uses his quickness to get better position and makes his moves quicker in pass rush, I’ll give him the edge.

Edge: McCoy


Run Defense
Guarding the run is much harder for a defensive tackle that you might expect, and it takes a certain skill set. Both of these guys have made the best of their run stopping ability even though they have been the constant and main focus of offensive coordinators.

McCoy has great instincts in the run game and reads the play well as he slides to the ball. He uses his quickness and athletic ability described previously to get in and out of blockers and reposition himself for the tackle.

Suh is more of a hole-clogger in the run game than a factor as a tackler. Suh takes on multiple blockers and still pushes them back, disrupting the play before it starts. However, if given the shot in a one on one match-up, he can chase the ball carrier with good pursuit and disengages well to make these tackles.

Because Suh can both play well in pursuit as well as a hole-clogger, he’ll get the edge over the ultra-athletic tackler in McCoy.

Edge: Suh


Pass Rush
Pass rushing has become a must have for defensive tackles nowadays, as more and more fans look at stats for Pro Bowl voting and other accolades.

So while the nose tackles like Casey Hampton still get love from the fans who know about how defenses succeed, guys like Kevin Williams get all the attention.

McCoy is one of the best pass rushers in this draft, regardless of position. His hands are extremely strong and with his repertoire of moves and quick hips, he seeks out the quarterback and disrupts the play even if he can’t get to him.

Suh gets his pass rush dominance from his power and explosiveness off the snap. He overpowers blockers and gets them off balance, then uses his sneaky quick feet to maneuver around them for the big sack.

Although Suh was more productive when it comes to sacks for his career, as far as NFL potential is concerned, McCoy is likely to be more productive with his style, simply because Suh won’t be able to overpower every guard in the NFL like he did with the Big 12.

Edge: McCoy


Block Shedding
The difference between shedding blocks and pass rushing is that defensive tackles need to constantly shed blocks to stay active in the play to be a factor in passing or running plays.

The art of shedding blockers requires the balance to take offensive lineman’s hand use and push as well as using hands yourself to keep them at bay and continually have separation as you see the play unfold.

McCoy has, as stated before, very strong hands that he uses very well in gaining space either in pass rushing or reading the blocking for a run play. His quick hips and ability to disengage quickly make him a tough block to maintain for any guard.

Suh is a very instinctive block shedder. He seems to know when to use his full force to get in the back field and when it’s time to push and stay stable to defend against a running quarterback or a run play in general. Also, his ability to take on two blockers and still make a tackle behind or close to the line of scrimmage is remarkable.

Edge: Suh


Motor
Most defensive tackles that are 1st round possibles have all the skills above and are usually pretty talented in them.

However, what really shows NFL teams that this guy is for real is his motor throughout the game. As you watch the game as a fan, you may not notice, but most defensive tackles take about 1/5th of the games’ snaps “off”. They still try of course, but they don’t have the stamina or the drive to go all out on every play.

While neither of these players can get generate havoc on each play, no defensive tackle can, it’s hard to tell when these guys are tired because they never give up in a game.

McCoy displays his motor by being in outstanding shape and rarely losing his legs under him. He never seems to get worse as the game goes on, and in fact seems to raise his play later in games.

Suh, although he’s constantly facing double teams, stays very active throughout the game. If you watched the Big 12 Championship game, Suh dominated every quarter of that game and was a clear indication of how a high motor, high intensity defensive lineman can directly influence how an opposing offense is affected.

Edge: Suh Close


Leverage
Like all professional positions, brute strength and athletic ability will only take you so far. NFL lineman’s biggest technique to work on is how they play with leverage.

Leverage in football is basically a test to see who can get lower on the other lineman and still maintain drive and balance. Because when an athletic guy like Suh and McCoy get low enough, no offensive lineman in the world has the upper body strength to contain these 300+ pound dynamic rushers.

McCoy breaks out of his snap with better technique than many NFL defensive tackles in that he doesn’t get too high to start. He stays low right off the snap and never really gives his opponent any time to gather himself and get low enough to meet him. His great lower body strength allows him to push blockers wherever he pleases for the most part.

Suh uses great leverage as well from the snap, and his technique is nearly equally as sound. He uses his power to push blockers back to start, then drives under them before they can catch their balance and blows right by them.

Because McCoy plays with outstanding technique and is rarely found in bad position, he’ll get the edge.

Edge: McCoy

Explosion
Those first few milliseconds when the ball in snapped is crucial to play in the trenches. It has less to do with quickness as it does with fast twitch reflexes and power in the lower body.

McCoy, as said before, does a great job of staying low off the snap and keeps his pad level low immediately. He really drives hard when it’s snapped and knocks back blockers before the play can develop.

Suh is well known for his explosiveness off the snap and it’s probably the biggest reason why in college he was unblockable and only sometimes “containable”. He fires off the ball as well as anyone I’ve ever seen and that combined with his power disrupts any offenses’ plans.

Edge: Suh

Production
Overall stats mean about as much to a scout as the taste of lettuce on a gourmet salad: Sure it’s there and you have to eat it, but with the crutons and the other complements along with the dressing, it kind of takes a back seat, and for good reason.

Still, while NFL teams might not use it, for the non-scouting fan, it’s the best creditability you have in your arsenal.

McCoy put up 14 sacks in his three year career at Oklahoma, including 6 in the past two years each. For a guy getting routinely focused on rolled out away from, those are pretty solid numbers transitioning from a pro-style defense to the next level.

Suh, however, was a monster in the stat books. He put up 12 sacks in 2009, a huge number for a defensive tackle who, week in week out, was the constant (and maybe only) attention the offensive coordinator had to worry about. In his carerr he had 23 sacks, including 4 alone in that crucial Big 12 Title game where emerged as a national star.

Edge: Suh

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