Player Profile: RB Marshaun Coprich

Everyone in the fantasy football business loves a good sleeper and by extension, the bigger the scandal makes an even better story. Today, I will be discussing the Giants free agent pickup and former Illinois State Redbirds rusher, Marshaun Coprich, who has made some major headlines over the last fourteen months or so. On the great news side, Coprich was the only FCS running back invited to the NFL Combine and got signed after the draft because of his amazing physical attributes, while certainly his collegiate production was a factor as well. However, last May, Coprich was arrested and charged for felony pot possession. Fortunately, his college team allowed him to return and play the 2015 season, so that is a positive sign. As with most small school prospects, I get limited access of film to view. However, Draftbreakdown.com had his Iowa game (which I saw) and I also watched two different highlight reels via youtube.com (one was over 15 minutes long with some all-22 views) in order to see what all the fuss was about. This is what I saw:

The felony pot charge, in addition to being a small school prospect, doesn’t help this young man’s chances of staying on the Giants post cuts. Therefore, we must ask ourselves, will Coprich enter the NFL with a strike against him, making his first possible drug offense a higher suspension? I certainly can’t answer that question. Although, similar to fellow small school back, Kenneth Dixon (current Raven), Coprich had 300+ touches in three of his collegiate seasons. Should he secure a spot in a team’s 53-man roster, we again must ask ourselves, will the wear and tear and high collegiate volume be too much for him to find success in the NFL? It’s key to remember that for the most part, the back played against a weaker level of competition than most NFL bound players. In fact, against Big Ten school Iowa, the runner had 13 carries for 32 yards, although did manage to catch four passes for 33 yards. Then, in the 2015 Division One Football Quarterfinal, versus Richmond, he grounded out 14 carries for 40 yards with one touchdown and chipped in three receptions for 37 yards, while catching a score as well. From what I saw, often times Coprich doesn’t sink his hips, while running a bit too tall. The back also has a bad habit of trapping the ball with his body instead of snaring it cleanly with his hands. Additionally, he didn’t do much pass blocking on any of the film I saw, which is a little concerning.

Coprich has a strong, powerful trunk. He combines excellent balance with loose hips, good vision and patience, finding his way to exploit cutback lanes with ease. The young Giants runner doesn’t need to gear down to change directions, jump cuts away from contact, and is quite dangerous on counter plays. I love the way he connects spins, hurdles, stutter steps, and shoulder shakes to create space. The former Redbird is very elusive, despite his sometimes sloppy feet, while finding his second and third gear in the open field.

There is a level of physicality to his game with his stiff-arms and ability to break arm tackles with ease, while properly protecting the pigskin. It’s clear that Coprich is a better outside runner, but still holds his own in goal line and short yardage situations. He has kick-off return experience, so the runner may find a role in return yardage leagues. Although the tape was limited, the back does well in pass protection, stepping up to attack blitzers, anchors, and uses a good punch. His 4.47 40-yard dash time surprised me as he did not look that fast on tape, seeming to almost glide when running.

There are some huge question marks regarding Coprich: felony drug charges, small school and size, along with a huge college workload. Despite all of that, this young runner got an opportunity with the Giants. What that means exactly is still undetermined, however, Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, Andre Williams, and fifth rounder Paul Perkins are all currently listed above him on the depth chart. He is athletic, patient, blessed with good vision, and can change directions without slowing down. Hopefully, if Coprich doesn’t stick with the G-men, he will find a different NFL home perhaps on that team’s practice squad this year and should only be rostered in deeper dynasty leagues as an end of the bench sleeper stash.

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