STARKVILLE — Fletcher Cox is quickly rising up the draft boards of most National Football League executives.
The defensive tackle from Mississippi State University may get picked in the first two hours of the 2012 NFL Draft on the evening of April 26.
The 295-pound defensive lineman from Yazoo City had 14.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in a 2011 season that saw him and junior Josh Boyd dominate the line of scrimmage from inside the tackle box.
“This is a chance for me to do what I’ve always dreamed of, play in the NFL,” Cox said in a university statement in Jan. “I appreciate everything Mississippi State has done for me to help me get to this point. The coaches, fans, staff and everyone there have been amazing during my three years in Starkville.”
Cox, who was a third-year junior, was the only player from the Bulldogs program to be a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection this season.
ESPN.com draft analyst Todd McShay said the more his looks at the MSU product, he loves what he sees and thinks that opinion reverberates throughout scouting scouts in professional football days before the beginning of the selection process.
“Fletcher Cox, the more tape I watch, the more he just grew on me, and I love his versatility,” McShay said in a recent conference call with the national media. “I think he plays the game hard. I think he can rush the passer both from the inside and the outside, different styles, more of a three technique.”
A three-technique description for Cox essentially means a basic 4-3 set will have four down linemen including two defensive tackles and two defensive Ends on the line-of-scrimmage. Cox will be a smaller and faster defensive tackle trying to get up the field because he lines up on the outside shoulder of the right guard.
“On the outside he seals the edge and is stronger at the point of attack than when he plays on the inside, but I also see some ability to get off the quarterback with power moves and leverage moves as a left defensive end type or a 3-4 defensive end, as well, on occasion,” McShay said. “I think he’s the best of the group, I really do, and I think he’ll continue to get better.”
The three players battling to be the first defensive tackle to hear his name called by commissioner Roger Goddell in the draft are Cox, University of Memphis product Dontari Poe and LSU’s Michael Brockers.
Cox was named the SEC’s defensive lineman of the week four times in the 2011 season and dominated the Wake Forest University offensive line in Nashville for the Music City Bowl with a sack and seven tackles, including two for loss.
“Nobody saw this coming and I don’t think Fletcher was able to see into the future and realize he would be an All-SEC type talent but the one thing I can say about Fletcher Cox is everything we asked him to do, he did to the highest level,” MSU defensive coordinator Chris Wilson said.
NFL.com has Cox currently projected to be taken by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 15th selection in the first round despite the franchise having two veterans at the defensive tackle position.
“Eagles head coach Andy Reid always stresses the importance of his defensive line,” Philadelphia Inquirer Eagles beat writer Jeff McClane said. “With Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson both around 30 (years old) or over 30 they’ll need a young defensive tackle to bring in.”
Last season the Eagles had nearly half of its 50 sacks in 2011 come from the defensive tackle position.
“With Jim Washburn as Philadelphia’s defensive line coach, Cox would fit in perfectly with how he envisions his defensive tackles to pash rush more than read and react to the run,” McClane said.
Cox has told the Dispatch, he and around 14-15 of his closest friends and family will be in attendance at Radio City Music Hall next Thursday for the draft proceedings. Along with Cox, MSU football coach Dan Mullen will be in attendance as the defensive lineman represents the first player from Mullen’s initial recruiting class in Starkville to be drafted.
“If you’re a first round pick then that’s life-changing money and I tell every one of them to go, if you’re not then we encourage them all to come back,” Mullen said after the Music City Bowl win in December.
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