NFL Draft Profile: Brenton Cox Jr., Defensive End, Florida Gators
Brenton Cox Jr.
Florida Gators
#1
Pos: EDGE
Ht: 6036
Wt: 250
Hand: 0928
Arm: 3318
Wing: 8068
40: 4.82
DOB: 1/30/2000
Hometown: Stockbridge, GA
High School: Stockbridge
Eligibility: 2023
One-Liner:
Brenton Cox Jr has tremendous upside in talent with good upper body strength, AA, and motor, but will slide in the draft due to lack of production and several off-the-field issues.
Evaluation:
Brenton Cox Jr possesses good length and size as a stand-up 3-4 pass rusher. Cox carries his weight well and has a good upper body build.
In the passing game, Cox shows above-average twitch and length to perform successful speed-to-power moves. He displays good agility, length, and foot speed to perform successful pass-rushing moves such as swim. Exhibits good pursuit and high energy to run down defenders. He does not possess above-average bend-to-speed rush around tackles at the next level. Cox occasionally gets stonewalled during his pass rush by not having a controlled pass rush plan.
In the run game, Cox routinely has good hand placement by punching the inside torso of blockers and leveraging his length to gain space. Cox does not show the lower body strength to set the edge consistently. By using his length, he gains separation between blockers to read and react to the play.
Off-the-field issues and lack of production will lower his draft stock.
Grade:
4th Round
Quotes:
Background:
Raised in Stockbridge, Georgia. A five-star recruit, according to 247Sports. Spent two years at Miller Grove High School prior to Stockbridge. An academic standout. His major is unknown. Played the 2018 season at Georgia. Was dismissed from Georgia after being arrested for marijuana possession, though that wasn’t the sole reason for being dismissed from the program. There were also rumors that he was a “bad apple” in the locker room, according to Dawgs Daily. Cox then ransferred to Florida and redshirted, where his rise up NFL Draft rankings began. He was then dismissed in the middle of the 2022 season from Florida for personal misconduct. A report from All Gators: "Brenton, we've kind of decided to move on here," Napier said. "I think that being a football player at the University of Florida is a privilege [and] there are certainly expectations that come with that. Obviously, he's done a lot of good things for the University of Florida and we wish him the best." Napier wouldn't provide specifics as to what caused the decision, noting that "we keep that in-house."
