2012 NFL Mock Draft: Quinton Coples Becomes The Jaguars Pass Rusher

With the seventh pick in SB Nation's 2012 NFL mock draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select North Carolina DE Quinton Coples.

The Jaguars have been seeking pass rush help ever since they last used a top 10 pick on a defensive end (Derrick Harvey, 2008). Coples is the biggest impact player remaining on the board even if other positions may make more sense. SB Nation's Jaguars blog, Big Cat Country, explains the pick:

Picking Coples at seventh overall has become the cliché, boring pick for the Jaguars, but with Morris Claiborne off the board, it's really the only player that makes sense. The Jaguars have lacked a legitimate pass rusher since ... well, forever. Tony Brackens was quite the pass rusher, but he hasn't been on the team since 2003. The failures of Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves from the 2008 Draft only further stagnated the pass rush.

Jeremy Mincey emerged for the team in 2011 with eight sacks, but he's less a pure pass rusher and more an every-down player that forces quarterback pressures with his high motor. Even if he does continue to improve in 2012, though, there is no pass rusher on the roster to have much faith in on the other side of the line.

A 6-6, 284 pound athletic freak like Coples is a risky, home run type of pick, but the Jaguars need more star power and need to swing for the fences to find stars. In my opinion, the best idea would be for the Jaguars to trade down 10-15 picks and go after another pass rusher like Illinois DE Whitney Mercilus.

For more analysis of the pick, visit Mocking The Draft. SB Nation's Dolphins blog, The Phinsider, is on the clock with the eighth pick.