The New York Jets were expected to look for an edge pass-rusher with their first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, and they did exactly that selecting North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples.
The draft fell exceptionally well for the Jets. The Seattle Seahawks surprising selection of West Virginia defensive end Bruce Irvin at No. 15 left all of the players the Jets had reportedly targeted to play on the edges of their 3-4 defense on the board.
They went with the 6-foot-6, 283-pound Coples. SI.com called Coples "an impressive looking athlete who plays big and fast, disrupting plays from all angles. He offers the underlying skills to be a dominant NFL performer if he's willing to pay the price and play at a high level on every snap."
Quinton Coples 2012 NFL Draft Profile (via sbnnfl)
Coples had 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons for the Tar Heels.
SB Nation's Mocking The Draft ranked Coples as the 11th-best prospect in the draft. [MTD Scouting Report]
-- See Gang Green Nation for more reaction to the selection