Nick Coe 2020 NFL Draft Profile

Nick Coe had one of the most confusing careers in Auburn in recent memory. Coe redshirted his first year on a defensive line that had Derrick Brown and Carl Lawson starting. As a result of Lawson declaring himself for the NFL Draft, Coe was presented with a path to consistent snaps on the field for the Tigers. In his freshman season, Coe played in 14 games primarily as a backup player. His play earned him a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team. Coe’s sophomore season is where his play improves the most starting in 10 of 11 games. Over the course of the year, he accumulated 13.5 TFL, seven sacks, and two forced fumbles. Unfortunately for Coe, a wrist injury that required him to have surgery forced him to miss the final two games of the season.

After the surgery, Coe’s career at Auburn took a turn for the worse. Entering his RS junior season, Coe lost his starting spot and became a rotational player. Consequently, he did not have the same impact on the field accumulating only 15 total tackles, three TFL, and zero sacks. Coe started one out of the 11 games he participated in. Midway through the season, Coe was ruled out of the game by Auburn coach, Gus Malzahn. Malzahn stated that the reason Coe was forced to miss the game was due to having a bad week on and off the field. Coe sat out in the final game of the year against Minnesota in the Outback Bowl game.

Strengths

Thick, powerful frame;

Long arms to help set the edge against the run;

Versatility along the line in multiple fronts;

Hard hitter;

Functional upper body strength.

Weaknesses

Lacks pass rush repertoire;

Ends up on the ground too often;

Narrow lower body;

Slow lateral movement;

Slow get off.

Projection: 4th Round

Bottom Line on Nick Coe

Because of the lack of athleticism and explosive in Nick Coe’s game, he will never be able to play as a 4-3 DE. However, with his size and ability to stop the run, Coe would fit well as a run-stopping 4-3 three-tech DT or a five-tech DE in a 3-4. Coe flashes moments of nastiness and rugged play but will need to be more consistent if he wants to be part of a franchise’s rotation on the defensive line.

Teams should not expect much of a pass rush due to Coe’s inability to bend around the tackles and get underneath leverage when attacking the quarterback. Coe has the body of an NFL defensive linemen but will need to find an organization with coaches and veteran leadership that can develop him into becoming a more well-rounded player.

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