Gerald McCoy, Trent Williams have long history, mutual respect

Gerald McCoy first realized Trent Williams could be a special player in 2006.

As true freshmen at Oklahoma, McCoy, Williams and several other linemen were asked to line up and complete a 20-yard sprint. Williams was the fastest, and McCoy, astonished by Williams’ performance, given his size, wanted to see the race run again.

“I kept on like, ’No, no, y’all are cheating me,’ and then we got out there and did it again — and he won again,” McCoy said. “I was like, ’Man, maybe this dude is fast.’ Then we ran our 40[-yard dash] and his time was faster than mine. I said, ’Yeah, he just can run.’”

Good friends throughout their college careers, the two left Oklahoma following the 2009 season. McCoy, a defensive tackle, was taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the third overall pick. Williams, a left tackle, was drafted by the Washington Redskins one spot later.

The two teams will meet on Sunday — a game Williams is not looking forward to playing.

“Not at all,” Williams said, smiling wryly.

McCoy leads the Buccaneers with five sacks, ranking him third in the league among defensive tackles this season. Playing primarily on the right side of the Buccaneers’ defensive line, McCoy should match up against Williams fairly frequently.

“When you face him, you know you’ve got to bring it all game because he can hurt you in many ways,” McCoy said. “He can definitely be scary for an opposing defensive lineman.”