| Coples will get the chance to prove he tries hard all the time. (US Presswire) |
NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora is reporting the Jets have signed their first-round pick, defensive end Quinton Coples, to a four-year guaranteed deal.
Terms haven’t been released or reported, but considering Bruce Irvin, picked one spot ahead of Coples, inked a four-year deal worth $9.34 million, Coples’ contract will be worth a little less than that. There also will be a team option for a fifth year.
Coples, picked 16th overall out of North Carolina, was seen as a talented and versatile defensive lineman who had questions about how hard he tried on a consistent basis.
"You know, I'm a big guy. I'm a long-strider, things of that nature, so where it may come fast to me in a game, on film it's slowing down a little bit," Coples said before the draft. "People have their own opinions. Some people don't even think it was a problem. So it's different opinions, and you just go for what it is."
There was a report after the draft that the Jets originally were willing to take either Coples or Irvin and were willing to trade down with the Steelers so Pittsburgh could grab guard David DeCastro, but when the Seahawks surprisingly selected Irvin at No. 15, New York panicked and grabbed Coples.
Not true, Rex Ryan said.
“(Irvin) is a guy we did a lot of stuff on,” Ryan said. “We liked Bruce Irvin as a player, but not ahead of the first two guys we took (including Stephen Hill in the second round)."
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