Brenton Cox Jr., EDGE Florida: Offseason 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Cox was a five-star recruit from Stockbridge High School in Stockbridge, Ga. in the class of 2018

Brenton Cox Jr. is one of the veteran leaders on an exciting Florida Gators squad. The redshirt senior has two seasons of high-end play under his belt, but he looked hobbled as he recovered from foot surgery last year. One final push could solidify Cox as a top 100 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more updates and previews of the 2023 NFL Draft Guide.

Brenton Cox Jr., EDGE Florida: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior outside linebacker from Stockbridge, Ga.

Background: Cox was a five-star recruit from Stockbridge High School in Stockbridge, Ga. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 23 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 33 for Rivals, and No. 16 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 11th in the nation with a 90 grade out of 100. Cox spent two years at Miller Grove High School, where he played varsity basketball, prior to enrolling at Stockbridge. As a high school senior, he totaled 42 tackles, five sacks, and 9.5 tackles for a loss while leading his team to a 13-1 record. As a junior, Cox amassed 75 tackles, 18 sacks, eight tackles for loss, six passes defensed, a fumble recovery, and blocked a field goal. He was selected for the 2018 Under Armour All-American Game. Cox originally committed to Ohio State before switching to Georgia. He was dismissed from Georgia in 2019 and transferred to Florida. Cox earned his bachelor's degree in Education Sciences over the summer of 2022.

2021 Production: 13 games, 41 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 35 pressures, 8 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 4 passes defensed

2020 Production: 12 games, 42 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 48 pressures, 3.5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 2 passes defensed

2019 Production: NCAA Transfer Rules (Redshirt Year)

2018 Production: 13 games, 20 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 14 pressures, 1 sack, 3 passes defensed

Injuries & Off-Field: Arrested on misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana in 2019, dismissed from Georgia’s program in 2019, underwent surgery for a Jones fracture in his left foot in June 2021 that carried into the season

Awards: 2019-20 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, 2020 Second-Team All-SEC (Associated Press), 2020 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, 2021 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll

Pros: Special teams experience on punt return and field goal block units, able to absorb and deaden blows from pulling guards, swim move let him win inside and outside against Tennessee’s (2021) tackles, uses leg fakes and feints to try and fool tackles, explosive get-off helped him beat a pulling guard to the RB against Tennessee (2021), attempting to add a spin move and one-armed bull rush to his arsenal, gets his hands in passing lanes at the line of scrimmage, strong enough to disengage from blocks and redirect to the ball carrier, instances of setting the edge, arm length and power to drive linemen back and collapse the pocket, good awareness to slip blocks and get immediate penetration, swipes the tackle’s hands away before winning the outside shoulder, good closing burst

Cons: Age, more missed tackles than you would like, very limited experience in coverage, committed 17 penalties over the past two years, lacks elite bend, not as dynamic of an athlete as the top members of the 2023 class, foot injury prevented him from fully showcasing his abilities in pursuit in 2021, foot injury also caused problems with his short-area agility and change of direction skills, ran himself out of some run plays against LSU (2021), doesn’t recognize screens, linear speed is limited compared to other members of the 2023 class

Overview: Cox is unofficially listed at 6'3", 252 lbs. He applied pressure on roughly 13.8% of his pass rush snaps in 2020 and 10.8% in 2021. NFL teams will want to look at Cox’s foot after the surgery he had for a Jones fracture in June of 2021 impacted his play during the season. Hopefully Cox is back to his normal self for the whole 2022 season because he’s an exciting pass rusher with a combination of power and finesse pass rushing moves. The Georgia transfer has a polished swim move that he uses to attack tackles’ inside or outside shoulders. He’s also displayed instances of using leg fakes, spins, and one-armed bull rushes. Cox attacks the lineman’s hands when the lineman extends too early, swiping them away as he looks to turn the corner. The redshirt senior has impressive strength, which allows him to displace linemen as a rusher and set hard edges against the run. Cox is one of the few members of the 2023 edge class that I’ve seen completely slip blocks multiple times on his way to the ball carrier. Unfortunately, there are some physical limitations to Cox’s game. He lacks elite bend and linear speed, which limit his ability to post wins consistently despite a solid pass rush plan and arsenal. 

Overall, Cox displays impressive initial burst and power combined with a variety of pass rush moves, but he’s not an elite athlete in this class. Cox’s limited bend and linear speed make it unlikely he goes in the top 100 selections, but NFL teams will value his diverse pass rush arsenal.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme

Round Projection: Mid Fourth to Early Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 08-21-22