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NFL Combine Stock Watch: Did Auburn Players Help or Hurt Draft Status?

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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Feb 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Auburn Tigers wide receiver Sammie Coates runs the 40 yard dash during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Sammie Coates, WR

NFL Combine Results

  • Height: 6-foot-1
  • Weight: 212 pounds
  • Length: 33 3/8-inch arms, 9 3/8-inch hands
  • 40-Yard Dash: 4.43 seconds
  • Vertical Leap: 41 inches
  • Broad Jump: 131 inches
  • Three Cone Drill: 6.89 seconds
  • Short Shuttle: 4.03 seconds
  • 60-Yard Shuddle: 11.8 seconds

The NFL Combine was built for players like Sammie Coates. Athletic freaks have an opportunity to wow scouts, GMs and talent evaluators with their size, speed, strength and explosiveness in order to overcome whatever deficiencies they showed on film over the course of their player careers.

The only downside to that is if a player’s combine performance is built up so much that even great numbers aren’t enough. It’s worse when the concerns surrounding a player’s abilities are magnified, as was the case with Coates last week.

Coates put up some very good numbers at the NFL Combine. His 23 reps in the bench press were the most among all wide receivers (and more than many linemen, including college teammate Angelo Blackson). He also ranked second in the short shuttle, third in the broad jump and fourth in the vertical jump.

However, with expectations of a 4.3-second (or even faster time) in the 40-yard dash coming in, Coates’s 11th ranked 4.43 was a bit of a disappointment. More disappointing was Coates’ performance in receiving drills. He was very inconsistent during Saturday’s session – and inconsistency catching the football was the biggest knock on Coates at Auburn as well.

Once believed to be a first round candidate, Coates has fallen into the second round for most analysts, and could slip even farther if he doesn’t redeem himself at Auburn’s pro day March 3.

NFL Draft Stock Report: Falling

Next: ESPN Snubs Auburn-Alabama in Top Ten Rivalries List

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