NFL Draft 2012: Prospects Are Only as Good as Their Desire

As we assess the 2012 NFL draft, there's a reason why prospects such as Quinton Coples, Janoris Jenkins and Vontaze Burfict have slid down draft boards: they have character concerns.

Some may say that the NFL's increased attention to character concerns is overblown. In some respects they are, but not when it comes to desire on the football field.

In that sense, Jenkins and Burfict could be fine in the NFL, but teams need to be careful about a player like Coples.

You look at Coples and you see another monster off the edge courtesy of North Carolina. However, don't forget that he was tabbed by many as the No. 2 prospect headed in this college football season and in many regards he highly disappointed.

There is such thing as overhyping a prospect. It happens all the time. In Coples' case, though, he has all the tools to be a star in the NFL.

But does he want it bad enough?

Last season, Coples had 10 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss as a junior. What made him such an intriguing prospect this season was that he had so much potential to grow even more. However, Coples ended up with eight sacks and 15 tackles for a loss.

That may not seem like much of a difference, but in a season where he was expected to improve on his numbers, he instead looked like a worse player. For example, Coples had some nice games this season, but there were six games—including the Independence Bowl against Missouri—where he didn't register a single sack. For a prospect expected to take the NFL by storm headed into his senior season at North Carolina, that simply doesn't cut it.

Players like the Houston Texans' J.J. Watt and Brooks Reed have proven recently that you don't need eye-opening measurables to be solid players in the NFL.

After the NFL combine, it's only natural for scouts to bump athletic freaks up their draft boards.

But be wary. You have to play at 100 percent to be successful in the NFL.

I'm predicting now that Coples will be a bust.