In our latest edition of Chop Talk last night, Dan Kadar of Mocking the Draft discussed the interests of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2012 NFL Draft coming up next weekend and mentioned North Carolina's Quinton Coples as his guess for the Chiefs at the No. 11 slot. It's a new thought that flies in the face of the typical names, but the potential for greatness is there. However as Dan Pompei notes, the potential for disaster is there as well.
"The tape on North Carolina's Quinton Coples could make him drop like a melting icicle on draft day," writes Pompei. "Despite being one of the most gifted players in the draft at any position, Coples rarely plays like it. "At times you don't even know he's in the game," one general manager said. "He is a lethargic player who goes through the paces."
Coples had 15 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks last season. Some of the rumors that come out at this time are definitely intended to send a player's stock down to help the team that really wants him, so it's possible Pompei is being fed a line here. That said, he's not the first guy to question Coples' ability at the pro level.
Pompei's colleague at the National Football Post Wes Bunting loves Coples' game and says he can "be as good as he wants to be in the NFL." Bunting goes on to write, "The game comes very easy to him and he can be dominant if he learns to use his arms even better to slip blocks in the pass game, but with more time I expect that to improve. The sky is the limit as long as he's willing to work at his trade and keep his motor running."
Coples is expected in most mocks to go in the top 10 of the draft.