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Patriots, Bill Belichick Keep Eyes on Sammie Coates at Auburn Football Pro Day

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was in attendance at Auburn football Pro Day and kept a close eye on explosive Tigers receiver Sammie Coates.

Bill Belichick, the head coach of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, was the most prominent figure in attendance at Auburn football pro day Tuesday, and by most accounts he got a good, long look at Tigers wide receiver Sammie Coates.

Coates led the Tigers in receiving yards in both 2013 and 2014. He hauled in 34 passes for 741 yards and four touchdowns in 2014, including a career-high 206-yard performance against Alabama in the regular season finale. His 21.8 yards per catch average flashed big-play ability, but the junior struggled with inconsistent hands and drops during his career.

Nov 1, 2014; Oxford, MS, USA; Auburn Tigers wide receiver Sammie Coates (18) runs a route during the game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Auburn defeated Ole Miss 35-31. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Still, he could be a nice fit in New England, where tight end Rob Gronkowski was the team’s leading receiver last season followed by receivers Julian Edelman and Brandon Lafell.

Before the Patriots won the Super Bowl, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. projected the team would select Coates with their first round pick in his NFL Mock Draft 1.0, and though Coates dropped out of the first round in Kiper’s second mock, he still had the Pats selecting a wide receiver. And Kiper isn’t alone, Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com also thinks Belichick is looking for a wide receiver in Round 1.

The general consensus that Belichick is looking for a wideout or two in the Draft could be good news for the 6-foot-1, 212-pound athletic freak Sammie Coates, and Belichick’s presence in Auburn is a very good sign.

RELATED: Did Auburn Football Players Help or Hurt Their Draft Status at the NFL Combine?

The Leroy, Alabama native put up impressive numbers at the NFL Combine last month, including a 41-inch vertical leap, a 131-inch broad jump, and 23 reps in the bench press, which tied for the most among the wide receivers in attendance. His 4.43-second time in the 40-yard dash is very solid, though with a lot of buzz leading up to the event that suggested Coates could run in the 4.2-second range, it was a slight disappointment.

More troubling was Coates’ performance in receiving drills in Indianapolis, which drew quite a bit of criticism from journalists, draft analysts and fans.

During Pro Day, Coates looked more relaxed and did a better job catching the football with his hands. It wasn’t a perfect outing – he dropped at least one pass on a short slant route – but the speedster accomplished what he set out to do.

After receiving drills, former NFL offensive lineman Matt Stinchcomb asked Coates a few questions for the SEC Network.

“Just running routes,” Coates said of what he wanted to show during the day’s workouts, “catching the ball with my hands, showing I’ve got good hands.”

He was also asked about Belichick’s presence.

“When I saw the Super Bowl coach back there, I said ‘Woah.’ It was good to have him out here to watch us perform.”

Coates also said he had a chance to “holler at” Belichick during the receiver drills, and seemed quite excited about it on camera.

It’s difficult to tell what the future Hall of Fame coach thought of Coates (or even if he was really there to see Coates or one of the other former Auburn football players), and Belichick sure won’t tell anybody.

We’ll find out April 30, the first day of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Next: 2015 Auburn Football Schedule & Early Predictions

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