http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hg0kPsASvSg?wmode=Opaque
Quinton Coples might be the most physically gifted player in the draft this year, but he would also qualify as one of the most frustrating. Blessed with an enormous 6-foot-6 frame and the ability to move around the defensive line while carrying more than 270 pounds, Coples can play either inside or outside on the line, and he brings terror to all those who dare step up to him.
But as is the case with many players who have such natural attributes, he often fails to play hard every down and relies on his physicality rather than his motor. Then there is the fact that he got embroiled in the scandal that nearly took down the North Carolina Tar Heels football program.
Greg Little, Marvin Austin and Robert Quinn were all highly rated Tar Heels, and all three went in the top two rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft. But they were all also forced to sit out their final year at North Carolina due to impermissible benefits that they took from prospective agents. Coples got himself involved in a bit of the circus when he was photographed along with Austin and Quinn at a post-draft party, sparking discussion that he too was on the take.
But when Coples is not partying it up at clubs, or making homophobic comments on Twitter, he is a force to be reckoned with on the field. He has drawn comparisons to Lawrence Taylor on the field, and his ability to play both inside and out make him extremely valuable to any team. He had to move inside last year when Quinn and Austin were dismissed, but this year he has been able to move back to his natural position on the outside, where he can get into his sprinter stance and launch himself at unsuspecting ACC tackles.
He finished last season with 10 sacks, which is impressive considering his position change and depleted defensive corps. Coples was not the highest rated end coming out of high school, as he had to spend a year at Hargrave Military Academy for his senior year to show his game off to scouts. Nonetheless he was considered just a four star recruit and was a top-20 defensive end in the nation. Perhaps playing alongside such talented players as Austin and Quinn raised his game to another level that few expected of him coming out of high school.
They say you can’t teach size, and when defensive ends are blessed with the ridiculous mixture of size, strength and athleticism that Coples has, people take notice. He has a Julius Peppers-type build, and if he can get his motor going, he could step in and become one of the most dominant defensive players in the league.
He almost declared for the draft last year along with the rest of his Tar Heels henchmen, but he decided to stick it out another year in Raleigh and work to improve his stock. Coples would have likely been a late first round pick last year, but this year he has the chance to be a top five pick. He will blow the combine away with his measurables, and teams will be drooling to place on either side of their defensive end for the next decade.
But there is always the risk with players like Coples that those seemingly minor issues flare up and harm his chance at long-term success. When you watch elite ends like Jared Allen, you see him go for it on every down. Quinton needs to do that every play if he is going to get around pro book ends. Keeping his nose clean would also come in handy, as off the field activities have been known to derail a promising career or two.
All the talent in the world, and if harnessed properly, Quinton Coples will become a generational talent on the defensive side of the ball. He has the chance to evolve into a Mario Williams or Mathias Kiwanuka type stand up outside backer if he is drafted by a 3-4 team, or he could be a straight bull rusher if he is put into the 4-3. Where ever he ends up, offensive lineman will take notice of the bull coming down the hill at them.
—
Editor’s note: I don’t know what UNC has against quarterbacks, but their alumni include Robert Quinn, Vonnie Holliday, Julius Peppers and HOF member Lawrence Taylor. That’s 294 combined sacks and counting. Nice pedigree for Coples.
