With the Dallas Cowboys looking to upgrade their pass rush, one of the most intriguing prospects they've been linked to is UNC DL Quinton Coples.
Top prospects tend to have either first-round measurables, in terms of size/speed ratio, or first-round production, being an All-American or even an All-Conference player. The ones that have both are your truly elite prospects, like Andrew Luck. At No. 14, the Cowboys are picking from a huge crop of players lacking in one or the other.
Coples, an athletic 6'6 290 defensive lineman, clearly falls into the first category, with the size to stuff the run and the speed to rush the passer.
However, instead of translating those measurables into a dominant senior season, his production tailed off, dropping from 10 sacks to 7.5. Many scouts questioned his effort level, which is a serious red flag for a player with millions of dollars on the line. After all, if they aren't going to give 100% when they're playing for a contract, how are they going to respond after receiving one?
For NFL.com's Mike Mayock, this question supersedes all the others, which is why he's not a fan of Coples:
"If I'm a general manager I'm not taking him in the first round, and I might not take him in the second round. The bust potential is high, and the earlier you take him the more risk there is inherent in that," Mayock said in an NFL Network special. "So, for me, Quinton Coples is not even a draftable player."
Pass rushers are some of the hardest players to evaluate on draft day: sometimes a raw athlete can become Ebeneezer Ekuban, other times he can become Jason Pierre-Paul. Coples, if he's still on the board at No. 14, could be a huge dilemma for the Cowboys.
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