Auburn Football: Sammie Coates Will Enter NFL Draft

So long, Sammie.

Auburn football player Sammie Coates will enter the 2015 NFL Draft, according to an AuburnUndercover report, which Coates made official with a statement Monday afternoon.

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“I’ve decided to come out this year and enter the NFL draft,” Coates said.

The junior receiver is a top 40 prospect according to some analysts, and for good reason. He is a physical freak that has been clocked at 4.3 seconds and better in the 40-yard dash, benches 405 pounds and has a 44-inch vertical jump.

Simply put, NFL scouts and decision makers will drool over his talent and ability.

“He’s represented us in a great way and he has a bright future,” head coach Gus Malzahn said at the press conference.

The one-time two-star recruit blossomed into one of the best wide receivers in college football.

“I’m very proud of Sammie,” Malzahn said. “It seems like just yesterday a real quiet, skinny kid from Leroy, Alabama was in our office.”

But where will he be drafted?

“I think they’re both similar in terms of where they’ll go, maybe late one but probably early to mid two,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. said in a recent teleconference, in which he discussed Coates and fellow junior wideout Duke Williams.

Overall, Coates has had a great career for the Tigers, though he did struggle at times with drops and injuries this season. With 1,733 career receiving yards, Coates currently ranks tenth on the school’s all-time list.

He broke out as a sophomore in 2013, with 902 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 42 receptions, which gave him the third best yards per catch average in the nation.

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This year, Coates also ranks third national with a 23.9-yard average. He has 30 catches for 717 yards and four touchdowns, including a career-high 206 receiving yards on just five grabs (41.2 average) and two touchdowns in the Iron Bowl against Alabama.

His on-field performance was good enough for Coates to be selected as an All-SEC performer, making the second teams on both the AP and coaches lists.

In addition to his physical gifts, Coates graduated Saturday and having a degree, in addition to the high praise he’s received from analysts, made it a very easy decision.

“If I wouldn’t have graduated, it wouldn’t have even been a thought,” Coates said.

Plus, Sammie Coates is just an all-around outstanding person.

As Justin Hokanson mentioned in his report:

"Beyond Coates accomplishments on the field are his willingness to impact lives in a positive manner off the field and throughout the Auburn community. Coates bond with cancer patient McKenzie Ray is well-known. Ray is a 11-year old girl battling cancer in Birmingham, Ala., where Coates has visited on many occasions.Coates was named Community Service Player of the Week in the SEC earlier this season. He served as a speaker at camps this summer for children who had lost family members, children with cancer, and children with special physical challenges, including mentoring students in his hometown of Leroy."

Auburn football fans will get one last look at Coates in a Tigers uniform January 1 against Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl.

Good luck, Sammie.

Next: What Other Auburn Players Will Leave Early For the NFL Draft?

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