John Copenhaver, North Carolina: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Copenhaver was a three-star recruit from Roswell High School in Roswell, Ga. in the class of 2020

Fans know about North Carolina All-ACC tight end Bryson Nesbit, but the Tar Heels have another tight end that flashed a few times in 2023. John Copenhaver had some nice plays last year that put him on my radar for the 2025 NFL Draft.

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John Copenhaver, TE North Carolina: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Fifth-year graduate tight end from Roswell, Ga.

Background: Copenhaver was a three-star recruit from Roswell High School in Roswell, Ga. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 430 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 424 for On3.com. Copenhaver was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. According to MaxPreps, he amassed 35 receptions for 393 yards and three touchdowns in six games as a senior. Copenhaver also carried the ball 19 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns on his way to earning an All-State honorable mention and the 4-7A Player of the Year award. As a junior, he totaled 44 receptions for 759 yards and eight touchdowns in 11 games and carried the ball 12 times for 58 yards and a score.

Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered a broken femur in grade school, missed several games at the start of his high school senior season, missed 2022 Georgia Tech game with an upper body injury, broke his right hand in Week 1 of 2023 but did not miss time, missed 2023 West Virginia game with a lower body injury

Awards: N/A

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and field goal units, experience operating in-line and in the slot at a near even rate with some H-back, arm length appears to check boxes, room to stack on another 10 lbs., quick off the line, sudden acceleration and quick hands to slip past press punches, smooth through his breaks, good job recognizing and running to space vs. zone, natural hands catcher, willing blocker, counter swipe vs. long-arm in pass pro, snatch-trap in pass pro, picks up DB and LB blitzes, comfortable with run block assignments in zone and pulling in a gap scheme, solid job blocking DBs on the perimeter, decent horizontal displacement on down blocks

Cons: Penalized three times in 2023, age, smaller frame with limited mass, struggles to separate from sticky slot defenders, routes drift downfield a bit, rounded route and drifting limit throwing window for QB, limited use of route fakes, limited separator, lacks speed to threaten defenses vertically, lacks breakaway speed, lacks the speed to challenge pursuit angles, not elusive after the catch, inconsistent base width when blocking, inconsistent balance and lunges in pass pro, struggles to mirror and stay attached to rushers in pass pro, can’t protect outside shoulder in pass pro, not reliable in pass pro, inconsistent angles to second level blocks, poor angles into blocks allow defenders to separate and redirect to the ball

Overview: Copenhaver has 350 career special teams snaps split across the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and field goal units. He primarily splits his offensive snaps almost evenly between the slot and in-line but also takes some reps at H-back. The college veteran is an older prospect who lacks the traditional frame for an NFL tight end. He is shorter and carries less mass than most tight ends, but he has decent-sized arms and room to stack weight on his frame. Copenhaver is quick off the line and has the hand usage and sudden acceleration to slip off of punches thrown by pressing defenders. He is smooth through his breaks and knows how to find open space against zone coverage. Unfortunately, Copenhaver struggles to separate from slot defenders. He lacks the high-end athletic traits to generate consistent separation, and his route running doesn’t help matters. The Georgia native rounds his routes or drifts downfield after his breaks, creating openings for defenders to undercut him. He doesn’t use many route fakes either. Copenhaver’s speed doesn’t threaten defenses vertically, which limits the areas of the field in which he operates. The fifth-year player is a natural hands catcher and willing blocker. He isn’t a threat to create much after the catch because he lacks the speed, strength, and elusiveness to evade defenders. Copenhaver’s blocking includes some nice counters, including swipes and a snatch-trap in pass protection. He spots and picks up defensive back and linebacker blitzes in pass protection. The former three-star recruit is comfortable operating in zone or gap run schemes and has the mobility to be an effective blocker along the perimeter. He also generates decent horizontal displacement on down blocks. Copenhaver doesn’t block with a consistent base, which leads to balance issues in pass protection. He struggles to mirror edge rushers and gets beaten around his outside shoulder regularly. Copenhaver shouldn’t be trusted with pass protection duties at this stage of his development. He takes poor angles going into blocks, which makes it easier for defenders to separate and redirect to the football.

Overall, Copenhaver lacks the elite athletic traits to be a leading receiving threat and is inconsistent at maintaining and finishing blocks as an in-line tight end. He should have the opportunity to catch on with a team as an undrafted free agent but is likely headed for a practice squad role.

Role & Scheme Fit: H-back and back of the roster chess piece

Round Grade: Undrafted Free Agent

Size: 6'3", 240 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 07-15-24