The road to redemption continues for Justin Cox.
Three months after his Mississippi State football career ended with the West Point native missing his last three games to suspension following a Nov. 25 arrest for domestic violence, Cox continued the journey back to being a sought-after NFL prospect.
After the domestic violence charge was dismissed on Jan. 6 at the request of the victim, Cox’s path picked up steam when he was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in late January.
After an impressive performance there, Cox continued his rebound despite not being allowed to participate in Mississippi State’s Pro Day – the Bulldogs’ annual showcase for its pro football prospects – on March 4.
Cox’s road traveled through Scooba this week, as the West Point native participated in his own Pro Day, this one held at East Mississippi Community College. Cox, a 2011 graduate of West Point High, led EMCC to the 2011 NJCAA National Championship courtesy of his All-America season, one that included seven interceptions.
On Thursday, he was back in Scooba trying to attract the attention of NFL decision-makers. That’s where Cox went through the paces of his own Pro Day, which saw the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder participate in drills in front of nearly two dozen professional scouts.
The event was originally scheduled for West Point High School, but was changed to Scooba Wednesday afternoon due to wet conditions at West Point’s football facility.
“He looked great,” said West Point coach Chris Chambless. “Justin’s always been a great athlete so this type of thing is made for him. He’s a good young man and now that everything has been resolved, it’s good to see him bouncing back.”
Cox went through several drills, including the three-cone shuttle drill, where he improved on his Combine time of 7.03 seconds. He trimmed that to 6.85 seconds on Wednesday, displaying the speed and agility that he showed while winning back-to-back state championships at West Point in 2009 and 2010.
At the Combine, Cox ran his 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds, a time that he let stand on Wednesday.
According to Chambless, 20 scouts took in Cox’s individual Pro Day.
For those around Cox, the chance to work out in front of professional coaches and staff members was exactly what Cox needed.
“We just want him to be able to have the same chance as everybody else,” said P.J. Augustine, of NextD1Prospect.com, Cox’s manager. “After the way it ended at Mississippi State and then having the charges dropped, we just wanted Justin to have a fair shot. The NFL knows that the charges were dismissed and they see what a talented young man he is. That’s what got him invited to the Combine. They see a guy with 4.2 speed, a guy with that kind of size, they know he’s a legitimate prospect.
“I think he’s a 10-year player in the NFL.”
Cox, who was unavailable for comment, played two years at MSU, and he finished his brief career with two interceptions.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.