Wide receiver Sammie Coates will forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the NFL draft, he announced Monday.
Coates graduated Saturday, and stated if he still had classes left to complete, he would have stayed at Auburn to play another season for the Tigers. Instead, he'll head to the NFL with a degree in hand following Auburn's appearance in the Outback Bowl against Wisconsin.
"If I wouldn't have graduated, it wouldn't have even been a thought," Coates said.
Coates was a deep threat for the Tigers during his time on the Plains and racked up 717 yards on 30 grabs with four touchdowns this season.
Coates is 6'2 and 201 pounds and said he didn't go through any sort of evaluation process to determine his place in April's draft.
Coates' counterpart in the receiving department, Duke Williams, is yet to announce his future plans. Coates said his choice had nothing to do with Williams'.
"I was just worried about my own decision," Coates said.
Head coach Gus Malzahn wished Coates the best of luck in his departure.
"We don't need projections," Malzahn said. "We know he's one of the best receivers in college football."
Malzahn said he remembers first meeting Coates.
"I'm real proud," Malzahn said. "It seems like just yesterday that a real quiet, skinny kid from Leroy was up in our office."
Currently, Coates is rated as the No. 40 overall prospect in his class by NFLDraftScout.com, and is the seventh-rated wide receiver.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said both Coates and Williams could hear their names called possibly late in the first round, but more likely early or midway through the second round.
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