Marshaun Coprich, RB Illinois State
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 207 lbs
Hands:9″
Arm: 29 5/8″
40 yard dash: 4.47(combine)

NFL Comparison: Ahmad Bradshaw, Cyrus Gray

Scouting Notes: Two time, back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, Coprich is a bundle of fun on the field. Blessed with great vision, Coprich is quick to see holes and exploit them — sometimes too quick. He can leave yards on the field at times for failing to wait for his blocks. This is the exception, not the case, though. Coprich is a master at outrunning defenders’ pursuit angles and accelerating through cuts, which makes him look faster than he is. That’s not to say he’s not fast — he just uses his angles more often to beat defenders than his burst in the open field. He’s compact but built sturdily, especially in the trunk — arm tackles usually won’t do the job. Coprich is elusive, but he’s not a “jukey” player for the most part. His first or second cut is usually his last. His pass-catching ability seems fair, but he really wasn’t called to do much receiving at Illinois State. An able blocker, Coprich can at times be more of an observer on pass plays than you’d like to see out of a 3 down back.

He’s currently on probation (2 years) for pleading guilty in in a case that originally pegged him with felony drug charges, having sold an undercover police informant a reported nine grams of the hippy lettuce. Per Vidette Online, “The plea allows his felony conviction to be dropped if he successfully completes the two years of probation, in addition to serving 30 hours of community service and paying a $170 fine.”

Fantasy Outlook: Not as big as your prototypical back, yet not as small and agile as your Darren Sproles type speedster, Coprich faces an uphill battle during the draft. The fact the he played at a smaller school doesn’t help either. Oh, and then there’s the felony drug deal he committed in May of 2015. Sources say he’s turned things around, but it’s enough to cause teams to shy away. That being said, his tape speaks for itself . He’s a dynamic player that is worth at least a 5th-round pick. Players with Coprich’s profile have generally had a hard time becoming fixtures in the NFL — Ahmad Bradshaw is one player of Coprich’s ilk that has had some success. It will be interesting to see if Coprich can make the most of his opportunities in the NFL. The chips are stacked against him, but he’s a skilled runner and he has experience on special teams so he could get some playing time sooner than later. In the right spot, he could develop into a useful role-player and maybe more.

From Illinois State Athletics

2014: First-Team All-America selection by The Associated Press, The Sports Network and the Walter Camp Football Foundation … named to the College Sporting News 2014 Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America Team … finished sixth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award, given to the best player in FCS football … honored with the FCS Player of the Year Award by the Touchdown Club of Columbus … Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-MVFC honoree … ranked No. 1 in the FCS in rushing yards (2,274) and rushing touchdowns (27), and was second in rushing yards per game (151.6) … ranked third in the country in scoring at 10.8 points per game … set school single-season records for rushing yards (2,274), rushing touchdowns (27), rushing yards per game (151.6), points scored (162) and total touchdowns (27) … rushed for over 100 yards in 14 of 15 games, with 13-straight to start the season … recorded nine multiple touchdown performances … posted six runs of over 50 yards or more, five of which went for touchdowns … set a career-high with 258 yards (second-most in school history) and tied a career-best with four touchdowns in the quarterfinal win at Eastern Washington … scored on a career-long 76-yard touchdown run at UNI … also caught 15 passes for 54 yards on the season.