Nick Coe – Noteworthy
Nick Coe watched “Creed 2” earlier this offseason, and the Auburn pass-rusher was inspired. No, he wasn’t inspired by the protagonist, Adonis Creed, portrayed by Michael B. Jordan, and his story. Coe found inspiration in the film’s main antagonist: Viktor Drago – the son of “Rocky IV” bad guy Ivan Drago. In “Creed 2,” Viktor Drago – at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds – gets two matches with Creed, losing both, first by disqualification and then by corner retirement, when his father throws in the towel to save him from suffering a fate worse than a mere loss. Despite Drago’s record, Coe was impressed with the physical specimen that was Florian Munteanu’s character. “My upcoming year, I’ve got goals,” Coe said. “I watched the movie ‘Creed 2.’ I saw Drago, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to get big like that right there.’”
Coe, of course, is already bigger than Drago’s character. He’s 6-foot-5 and 282 pounds, and he has been described by defensive line coach Rodney Garner as a “Greek god” and by teammates as a “freak of nature.” Still, the Auburn edge-rusher sees room for betterment after deciding – along with fellow defensive linemen Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson – to return for another season on the Plains. “I was pretty sure I wanted to come back and improve a lot,” Coe said. “I feel like I could be a higher pick and everything, so that’s why I came back.” “My skillset – it’s like, I can get better on pass rush and everything,” Coe said. “From a pass-rush standpoint, to be able to get more sacks and pressures and everything, that’s what I believe I can improve the most.” – Birmingham News