Seahawks 2021 Draft Profile: Jabril Cox

In one of the draft's biggest surprises a year ago, Seattle drafted linebacker Jordyn Brooks in the first round. A player of Cox's caliber remaining available at pick No. 56 could lead to the organization considering making such a decision for a second straight year.

Nearly one year ago to the day, general manager John Schneider pulled off one of the biggest stunners in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, choosing to not only stay put at pick No. 27 but using it to draft linebacker Jordyn Brooks.

The move came as a massive surprise to most draft experts considering Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright remained on the roster and Seattle had used two draft choices on linebackers Cody Barton and Ben Burr-Kirven one year earlier. It wasn't viewed as a position of need, leaving many to criticize Schneider's selection.

Fast forwarding to the 2021 draft, despite the recent investments at linebacker, the Seahawks find themselves with both short and long-term questions at the position. Wright has yet to sign a contract and remains a free agent. Bruce Irvin is recovering from ACL surgery and considering retirement. Wagner will turn 31 this summer, while Barton and Burr-Kirven haven't shown they are capable starters in the league to this point.

With Seattle facing the prospects of entering a new season without both Wright and Irvin, a glaring hole at SAM linebacker stands out as one of the team's most overlooked needs. If Schneider decides to address the position in the draft once again, former North Dakota State and LSU star Jabril Cox could be near the top of their draft board on day two.

Strengths

Transferring from North Dakota State, Cox had little issue jumping to SEC competition, with his calling card remaining his top-tier coverage skills. Displaying rare ball skills for a player at his position, he produced 26 passes defensed and nine interceptions in his college career, including returning one for a touchdown for the Tigers in 2020. He's a reactive linebacker when dropping into zone and also has shown proficiency in man coverage against tight ends, running backs, and even slot receivers.

Though he didn't get to show off his athleticism at LSU's pro day due to injury, Cox offers the elite speed, acceleration, and agility necessary to make plays sideline-to-sideline. With his motor always running hot, he consistently made tackles from the weakside in pursuit against the run and when given a chance to blitz, he flashed potential as a disruptive pass rusher and could be utilized more in that regard at the next level.

While he wasn't quite as tall as expected at the Senior Bowl, Cox still has good length (32 3/8-inch arms) for an NFL linebacker that he uses to shed blocks in the run game along with getting hands on footballs in coverage. With added muscle in the weight room, this length could allow him to play significant snaps off the edge as a strongside linebacker in some schemes.

Renowned for his work ethic and attitude, Cox exudes toughness and grit, as he has overcome several injuries in his playing career, including bouncing back from an ACL tear suffered in high school.

Weaknesses

While Cox hasn't been completely inept as a run defender and produced 6.5 tackles for loss for the Tigers a year ago, he will need to make substantial strides in this department to become a three-down linebacker in the NFL. He isn't always as decisive as he needs to be attacking blocks and has a tendency to get gobbled up in the trenches, particularly struggling to keep his outside shoulder free in contain situations.

Dating back to his time at the FCS level, Cox has battled issues with being fooled by misdirection such as counter plays and overall diagnosis of blocking schemes. Lagged processing puts him into compromised positions where he attacks the wrong gap or is a step slow making his read too often, allowing blockers to get hands onto him more easily and creating creases for ball carriers to accelerate through.

Missed tackles have been problematic for Cox at times as well, as Pro Football Focus credited him with a 13.3 percent missed tackle percentage, which was deemed average for college linebackers.

Fit in Seattle

With Wright remaining unsigned, the Seahawks may not have a suitable in-house successor on the roster at the SAM linebacker role, though Darrell Taylor remains a potential option depending on Aldon Smith's status.

In coverage, Cox would be a plug-and-play alternative with the fluid athleticism and ball skills necessary to cover tight ends such as George Kittle as well as running backs. He could also thrive in nickel situations due to his prior defensive back background at the high school level while offering untouched upside as a blitzer.

The biggest detriment to Cox's chances of excelling in Wright's stead would be his processing skills and lack of physicality against the run, however. Setting the edge is a pivotal role at the position and he would need to make dramatic improvements quickly in that regard being able to keep his outside shoulder free and take on blocks.

Nonetheless, due to his speed, length, and versatility, Cox would be an intriguing possibility in a Bruce Irvin-type role. If the team plans to move on from Wright and he's still on the board at pick No. 56, there's a chance Schneider could surprise again by picking a talented linebacker early.