Jets

2012 NFL draft: NY Jets pick North Carolina pass rusher Quinton Coples in first round, No. 16 overall

Defensive end could help pressure QB in Rex Ryan's scheme


By Manish Mehta / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Amid a wild start to the NFL draft that included one swap after another, the typically trade-happy Jets uncharacteristically didn’t budge before grabbing one of the most intriguing players on the board. Rex Ryan & Co. selected North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples, widely regarded as the best — and most confounding — pass rusher in the draft with the 16th pick of the first round on Thursday night.


The 6-6, 284-pound Coples, who has drawn comparisons to former UNC great Julius Peppers,
possesses all the requisite physical tools to thrive, but his decline in production his senior season gave his critics cause for concern.

The Jets weren’t overly concerned. Ryan will use Coples, who had 17½ sacks the past two seasons, primarily as a hand-in-the-dirt 3-4 left defensive end rather than a stand-up outside linebacker.

“He’s probably athletic enough to stand up and play linebacker,” Ryan said. “(But) that’s not what we brought him here to do.”

Coples put up eye-popping numbers (10 sacks) as a left defensive tackle in North Carolina’s 4-3 scheme after a pair of UNC defensive linemen were ruled ineligible for the 2010 season by the NCAA for accepting cash from agents. He had an inconsistent senior season when he moved to right defensive end.

Ryan believes that Coples and Muhammad Wilkerson, who were classmates at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia five years ago, will fortify Gang Green’s interior pass rush.

“It is a lot harder to rush a passer from a 3-4 end,” Ryan said. “Some guys cause production. I think Quinton and Muhammad both cause production.

“It’s tougher down there. We were at our best when we had a guy like Shaun Ellis moving inside and rushing the passer. . . . The old saying was that the tackle’s job was to push the quarterback back and the outside guy’s job is to push the quarterback forward. With this addition, we’ll push that quarterback back a little bit.”
Ryan was impressed with Coples’ athleticism and endurance when he put him through a workout at UNC’s Pro Day.

“Going through all the defensive line drills, he was not winded,” Ryan said. “I wanted to push him. I wanted to see how this guy would compete through the drills and put him through drills that he wasn’t familiar with, which was linebacker drills. . . . I couldn’t get him tired.”

Ryan likened Coples to Ellis and Trevor Pryce, who succeeded as an interior pass rusher when both were with the Ravens.

“To get rewarded and be a Jet, it’s unbelievable,” said Coples, who made a visit to the Jets last week. “(Ryan) told me if I was there at 16, he was going to take me... no matter what.

“I’m just working hard to be the best athlete as possible in the NFL,” he added. “I think I’ll be great for the Jets.”

Although general manager Mike Tannenbaum admitted that he “did field some calls” and did “monitor activity” for a trade up or down, he said he was happy to select Coples when he was available at No. 16 after the Seahawks made a surprise selection at No. 15 by picking WVU pass rusher Bruce Irvin. The Chargers grabbed South Carolina DE/OLB Melvin Ingram, who was linked to the Jets, two picks later. The Patriots traded up later in the round to nab Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones, who was also on Gang Green’s radar.

The Jets weren’t worried about the perception that Coples has an inconsistent motor and work ethic.

“The thing you have to do is sit down and talk to the kid and find out where his heart is,” said Jets executive vice president of scouting Joey Clinkscales. “You dig as deep as you can. You do as much background work as you can. You find out his level of play through the years. And we were comfortable with that.”

Said Tannenbaum: “It’s about the culture that we collectively built here. We think we’re adding a good player and a good person to our program.”

The NCAA concluded that Coples didn’t commit any violations by attending a draft party for former teammate Tar Heel Marvin Austin in May. “With everything (going on) around there, he stayed above the fray,” Clinksclaes said. “He never really got into any trouble. This kid stayed clean through all the transition.”