This series was created a number of years ago in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?”
Both series are back this year. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
It isn’t that common to see a star player from a smaller school take on the challenge of transferring in to a big-time college football program, but that was what Cox decided to do prior to the 2020 season. He was an FCS-American at North Dakota State, helping his team win three FCS National Championships. Cox put together three seasons of good production for the Bison, starting in 2017 with 75 tackles, 13 for a loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception and four passes defended. As a sophomore. he had 91 tackles with 9.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, four interceptions and seven passes defended. In his final FCS season, Cox totaled 92 tackles with 9.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, one interception, and seven passes defended.
Cox hit the ground running at LSU and was one of the best players on a defense that had lost a lot of talent to the 2020 NFL Draft. He recorded 58 tackles three interceptions and five passes defended with the Tigers. Many were projecting the 6-foot-3, 233-pound linebacker would go in the early rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft, so it was a surprise when he slipped to the fourth round.
In speaking to sources at multiple teams, Cox slid because of concerns about his ability in run defense. A lot of evaluators felt Cox was not physical, did not impress taking on blocks, and was going to struggle to handle the run in the NFL. Even though it is a passing-driven league, and covering is Cox’s strong suit, his struggles as a run defender were what sunk him to the third day of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Dallas Cowboys ended Cox’s fall early in the fourth round, and they were a good landing spot for him even though they selected Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons in the first round. The Cowboys did not pick up the fifth-year option on veteran Leighton Vander Esch, and veteran Jaylon Smith struggled in 2020. Cox could start out as a backup while developing his strength and run defense behind Vander Esch and Smith.
Cox is superb in coverage, however, so he could rotate into the game in nickel sets and grow from there. In time, he could be a replacement for Smith while Parsons can replace Vander Esch. Cox is a great fit for Dan Quinn’s defense and could be used similar to Deion Jones in Atlanta. It might take some time, but I would not be at all surprised if Cox works himself into being a solid starter for Dallas.
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