Of the dozen or so former Missouri players hoping to hear their name called in the NFL draft over the next three days, Copeland figures to be the longest of long shots. He wouldn’t have it any other way, which means everything is going exactly according to plan.

MIZZOU CHAT: DAVE MATTER AT 1 PM

Copeland, a former walk-on who became a two-year starter for Mizzou, has reshaped his body but not his mentality. The unconventional approach is still his favorite.

“That’s the only way I want it,” he said. “But you know what it reminds me of? Remember in Star Wars when Han Solo tells C-3PO, ‘Don’t ever tell me the odds’? The thing is, man, I don’t believe in statistics. Because they assume that everything is random. That’s a fallacy. I’m not random. This is different. … People are like, ‘It’s a long shot.’ But you know what, if it hasn’t been done before, how do you know what the odds are?

“I could be sitting on a brilliant move, and nobody knows yet.”