Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik hinted that Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy would have been the Bucs choice if the team held the number one overall pick. Dominik indicated this during an interview with radio host Jim Rome.

"Our main focus was making sure (Oklahoma quarterback) Sam Bradford went No. 1," Dominik said during a national radio interview with Jim Rome. "We knew we were in great shape with Gerald McCoy or Ndamukong Suh, but we were excited about McCoy because he's the entire package. He's a great fit for the 3-technique. We thought he was the best 3-technique on the board."

Source: Ira Kaufman - Tampa Tribune

PewterReport.com's Take: The Buccaneers had McCoy and Suh with similar grades, but multiple sources with the team told Pewter Report before the draft that the Bucs had Suh as the highest rated player in the draft. Dominik's statement is not abnormal. Teams typically hint that they would have taken their pick over others that went before their choice as a means of pumping up their draft class. For example, last year Bucs head coach Raheem Morris said he would have taken Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman with the first-overall pick. The Bucs loved landing McCoy, and would have been happy with Suh as well if Detroit had taken McCoy.