Sammie Coates declares for NFL Draft

AUBURN -- Sammie Coates will play his last game at Auburn against No. 18 Wisconsin in the upcoming Outback Bowl. The junior wide receiver declared for the 2015 NFL Draft on Monday.

"I decided to come out this year and enter the NFL Draft," Coates said. "I think it's important for me to do this. I graduated Saturday. I think this is the time for me to take another step in my life, to take that chance."

The junior wide receiver has 30 receptions for 717 yards and four touchdowns this season, including five receptions for a career-high 206 yards and two touchdowns in the Iron Bowl.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said he viewed Coates as a second-round pick.

"He's not as polished in terms of route running and consistency but he can beat you vertically down the field and that presents great value," Kiper said last week. "I think he's a second-round pick, Coates, maybe a little higher if he has a great workout you would expect, maybe late first."

Coates isn't paying too much attention to early projections.

"That's just how they feel about me right now," Coates said. "I've still got a lot to work on and a lot to improve on as a player, but it's going to happen."

Coates was hampered with a hamstring injury early in the season that caused him to miss the San Jose State game. He also had issues with drops for most of the year.

I had to learn that when something didn't go my way, I've still got to help my team win. I still have to be out there and be a leader. That's what I did.

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said he was "very proud" of Coates for representing Auburn football in a "great way" on and off the field.

"I recruited him and I wanted him to have a chance to reach his goals and dreams," Malzhan said. "One of his dreams is to play in the NFL. He's going to do that. He's going to be a high draft pick.

"You hear experts and projections -- we really don't need projections. He's one of the best receivers in college football right now. He's got a great upside. The future's very bright."

Coates, who graduated on Saturday, said he decided to go pro in part because he received his degree.

"I got a diploma. That's what you come to college for," he said. "You get this chance to come to a D-I school, you get a chance to graduate and play football at the same time. ... If I wouldn't have graduated, it wouldn't have been a thought."

Malzahn said Auburn would cover Coates' loss of value insurance for the bowl game, meaning if Coates were to be injured and then selected later in the draft due to the injury, he would not suffer financially.

Because he graduated, Coates is eligible to play in the Senior Bowl and plans to play in the game if invited, according to AuburnUndercover.com, who first reported Coates would enter the draft.