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Pitcock hopes to be first defensive tackle taken in draft
Piqua native tries to ignore all the hoopla of where he'll be selected.
Monday, February 26, 2007
INDIANAPOLIS — From Piqua High School to Ohio State University to the NFL, Quinn Pitcock is preparing for another transition.
Now football is more than a game. It's a business. And the Buckeyes' star defensive lineman is getting a taste of it at the NFL combine.
Extras
"We have to understand it's now truly a job," he said. "It's still a fun game, but you have to realize it's a job interview at this event and you're playing against guys who are competing for their family and kids."
Pitcock's family wants to know where the mighty Quinn will land at the next, and highest, level.
"You hear them talking about that in the background and you've got to realize, 'Hey, don't listen to it,' " he said. "You won't know until the day of (the draft), until you're picked. I just try to ignore all the hoopla."
Pitcock, who measured at 6-foot-2½ and 299 pounds, has the versatility to play defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme or defensive end in a 3-4.
"My biggest strength is that I can play any position on the defensive line," he said. "I'd just have to adjust my weight. I have the ability and physique to get bigger or get smaller and still keep my speed and strength."
The big fellow enjoys playing tackle, but mention end, and his eyes light up.
"That's where I feel most comfortable — rushing from the outside," he said.
Pitcock showed his toughness in 2006 when he rebounded from July shoulder surgery in which a labral tear was sutured. Then his patience was tested during a dream season that ended with a nightmarish loss to Florida in the Bowl Championship Series title game.
"Even before the national championship game, doing the circuit of awards banquets, that's what really made the season a lot longer," he said. "I did a lot of traveling on top of practicing. Sometimes it got me down, tired, and it was tough to get up to do everything. It was a long season, something I'm going to have to get adjusted to these coming years."
Pitcock's goal is to be the first defensive tackle taken.
"Someone told me (Michigan's) Alan Branch is highly up there, but we'll see how that plays out on draft day," he said.
The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry never ends.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.
