Sammie Coates catches pass Senior Bowl.JPG

South squad wide receiver Sammie Coates of Auburn (18) practices for the Reese's Senior Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/mkittrell@al.com)

Sammie Coates

is fast, but consistency is the issue he will face this week at the NFL Combine.

Auburn's leading receiver over the last two seasons is headed to Indianapolis looking to prove he is more than a deep threat, and is also capable of catching everything thrown to him during workouts.

"The concern with him has always been, does he have natural hands?" NFL Network analyst

Mike Mayock

said. "He's got some drops, he's got several double catches and obviously for a wide receiver, especially as you move on to the next level, you want natural hands; not somebody who is finding the football."

Coates finished his junior seasons with 741 yards and four touchdowns, but his drops and near-misses stood out in the first half of the season as he battled a knee injury suffered in the opener against Arkansas.

midway through the season.

Auburn receivers coach

Dameyune Craig

, however, believes Coates receives too much unneeded criticism. Coates accounted for only four to five drops all season, he said. In fact, "he doesn't get enough credit for catching the football," Craig said.

Coates drew double teams for most of the season, but still managed to contribute significant plays. His 206 yards and two scores on five catches broke an Auburn Iron Bowl record against Alabama on Nov. 29. Two weeks later declared for the NFL Draft.

, though many analysts, including Mayock, expect him to be selected in the second round.

"He's going to have to run through that gauntlet this coming week catching the football," Mayock said. "His Pro Day is important. Every time he has an opportunity to catch the football he needs to catch it cleanly."

Coates shined during Senior Bowl workouts, but concerns about his knee have long been an issue, too. Auburn coaches rested Coates after the Georgia game on Nov. 15 to get him ready for the Iron Bowl, but he tweaked his other knee during that career-defining performance in the second half, Craig said.

in late January. Healthy or not, Coates was a legitimate threat for the Tigers throughout the 2014 season.

"But even with Sammie not being 100 percent I tell people and they would say, 'You know, he didn't dive for that ball because he was not 100 percent,'" Craig said. "He was hurt. Well, I say I guess the guy that was five yards behind him must have had a broken leg because he was still out-running everybody. If you can out-run somebody about four or five yards, that's open. I think that's really open."