Biography of a Jet: Quinton Coples

Vitals

DOB: 06-22-1990 (21 years old)

Height: 6 feet 6 inches Weight: 284 lb.

School: North Carolina

Position: DE

Quinton Coples was born in Kinston, North Carolina in 1990 to parents Gail Coples and Timothy Koontz. Under his personal profile on the tar heels web page it says his favorite team is the Pittsburgh Steelers (booooooo). We'll have to overlook that.

Coples initially attended Kinston High School in his hometown, however he transferred to Hargrave Military Academy for his senior school. In both schools, Coples was extremely successful and among top rated high school prospects at his position. Almost all viable scouting sites, including national sports media conglomerate ESPN, ranked Coples well inside the top 50 defensive ends coming out of high school. Playing on the Army All-America team gave Coples early fame, and got him into the coveted program at power school UNC.

In his freshman season at UNC Coples was largely a reserve but in the limited action he saw he was extremely disruptive in the backfield, getting 3.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery. Coples put on over 30 pounds for his sophomore year, and he became a rotational player for UNC. Once again in spite of his limited action, Coples put up significant sacks and tackles for losses again.

In 2010 Coples was forced to move to DT out of sheer team need. Proving his versatility, Coples had his most productive college season yet. His performances in the regular season and the Music City Bowl netted Coples All-ACC honors for the first time, and got him ranked among the top ten best DL college players in the country.

Coples moved back to end for his senior year, and his success became even more pronounced. Coples became the first UNC DE since Julius Peppers to receive back to back first team All-ACC awards over two years. That year Coples pulled down 24 sacks, 4th in the entire nation among college players as well as leading UNC in sacks and tackles for losses.

At the Combine, Coples ran a 4.78 second 40 yard dash, the same time as his 20 yard shuttle. Coples had 25 bench press reps, a 31.5 inch vertical jump, a 109 inch long jump, and a 7.57 second 3 cone drill. In spite of what several GGN members will tell you about Coples falling to us, evaluating most mocks and projections, Coples was actually more of a reach at 16.

Some analysts didn't like Coples senior tape, and his motor is frequently questioned. However, very few prospects are as progressively successful over their college careers as Coples was filling whatever team role was asked of him at UNC. Coples has frequently been compared to Julius Peppers, and I actually think Quinton has the skill to surpass his predecessor. If there is any coach in the NFL that can help Coples take the next big step, it is Rex Ryan.

Welcome to the New York Jets, Quinton Coples. Here's hoping you are a dominant force on this team for years to come.