For Bucs, this pick just had to be made

We've seen the numbers before but they're worth reviewing.

The Bucs were built on defense and to see it crumble into the level of ineptness we saw a year ago was simply unacceptable. They allowed 4.8 yards per carry and 158.2 yards per game, the worst rushing defense in the National Football League. They trailed 25 other teams in sacks.

So it's hard to recall a time in recent history when such a profound need had such an obvious solution. If the Bucs had chosen anyone besides Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy with the third overall pick in the draft Thursday night, I'm guessing angry natives would have stormed One Buc Place with flaming torches and mayhem on their minds.

"I wanted to be a Buccaneer. I can openly say that," McCoy said on a conference call.

That's no doubt true.

But the Buccaneers didn't just want him, they need him.

That's why they didn't play around with the pick. They didn't give in to any fantasy notion of providing weapons to quarterback Josh Freeman. There are 11 picks left in this draft to address that need.

But a franchise known from the start for defense lost its way and it has to be fixed. If Gerald McCoy is as good as everyone expects him to be, the Bucs just took a major step toward regaining an identity that began with another defensive lineman from Oklahoma - an end named Lee Roy Selmon.

The Bucs made him their first pick in franchise history in 1976 and that worked out pretty well. Now, 34 years later, the Bucs have turned to the Sooners again for another defensive cornerstone.

"I've heard nothing but good things about him," Selmon said not long after the choice was official. "It's obvious that he has good athleticism on the field but I've heard nothing negative about him off it, either. He has good character and I look forward to meeting him as soon as possible.

"He brings an awful lot of talent for sure. The times I've seen him, he is so explosive off the line of scrimmage. That's just something you can't coach because you've either got it or you don't. He's got that extra burst that Warren Sapp had."

The history of highly drafted defensive tackles in the league, especially in recent years, is not good. There are many underachievers and flat out busts. There is Ryan Sims, Glenn Dorsey, Amobi Okoye and Sedrick Ellis, among others. All were top-10 draft picks. We're still waiting for their impact. So are the teams that took them.

Teams keep drafting and hoping, though, because these guys are hard to find and they can turn a defense around - like Sapp did with the Bucs back in the day.

Critics are suspicious that McCoy bench-pressed a relatively low 23 times at the draft combine and had several games last season with the Sooners with less than eye-popping stats.

That has a lot to do with the position he played at Oklahoma and will play with the Bucs. You've heard a lot about how McCoy is a "three-technique" tackle. The NFL does love its jargon, doesn't it? It's really pretty simple, though.

He'll be in the middle of the line and expected to tie things up, especially against the run. He'll be expected to get a good rush against passes, requiring opponents to use at least two blockers on him. That will make his linemates more productive.

Stylez White or whoever lines up at end should send a limo to meet him at the airport.

We've seen teams run at will on the Bucs, but you'll know McCoy is the real deal if that suddenly gets a lot tougher.

"The natural three-technique fit was so important to this organization," General Manager Mark Dominik said. "A lot of people talked about that and we talked about it internally, how important it is for this guy to hit the ground running and be a productive football player in many ways."

This franchise won a Super Bowl once because of its defense. If they're ever going to get back there, defense will have to take them there again. It's who they are. It's why Gerald McCoy was the easiest pick they'll ever make.

Now, all it has to do is work.