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By Brody Miller May 1, 2021
BATON ROUGE, La. — Three national titles. All-American honors. NFL draft buzz around him. Jabril Cox didn’t need to come to LSU. Most of his North Dakota State teammates assumed he’d turn pro a year ago.
But he chose to transfer to LSU and the SEC because he didn’t want to just make the NFL. He wanted to ensure he succeeded in the NFL. After going unrecruited by Power 5 programs out of high school, the star linebacker decided to go up against the best to up his game.
“He felt like he wasn’t given that opportunity to prove himself,” his father James said last spring, “and I think that’s what he’s all about: Trying to better himself and trying to prove himself.”
He proved himself well enough to be selected in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys, validating his decision despite a challenging LSU season.
LSU’s 2020 defense was an issue, ranking toward the bottom of the FBS in total yardage and explosive plays allowed. But Cox was the primary bright spot, a rangy, modern linebacker who can cover receivers in the slot and run sideline to sideline. More than half of his snaps were in coverage, and Pro Football Focus gave him an 83.5 coverage grade. That’s what NFL teams want from a linebacker these days.
Even though he only spent mere months in Baton Rouge, he was the rare veteran presence LSU trusted to meet with the media every week. He finished with three interceptions to go with 6.5 tackles for loss while the team struggled.
A former high school quarterback, Cox went the FCS route out of high school because a knee injury crushed his Power 5 dreams. He broke out as the next star at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State because he picked up the defense immediately and demonstrated unteachable skills.
The Cowboys are getting a linebacker with defensive back athleticism and the football IQ to get the most out of it.
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ROUND 2-3: Dane Brugler’s analysis | Sheil Kapadia’s grades
ROUND 1: Brugler’s analysis | Kapadia’s grades
Dane Brugler on Jabril Cox (No. 6 LB, No. 77 overall prospect in The Beast)
Cox is an excellent space athlete for his size and does a great job squeezing routes in either man or zone coverages. While he prefers to play in the open, he is inconsistent through contact near the line of scrimmage and must improve the consistency of his take-on and tackling skills. Overall, Cox has holes in his game, primarily with his run fits, that make it tough to love him, but he is easy to like with his smooth athleticism, spatial awareness and football character. He projects as a versatile defender with three-down potential.
Top college highlight
Cox intercepted Arkansas quarterback Feleipe Franks in the second quarter of a crucial game and displayed exactly who he’s selling himself as to NFL teams. He lept in the air in zone coverage, made an acrobatic catch and then returned it 30 yards to set up an LSU touchdown. He was just a few yards shy of what would have been his second pick-six of the short season.
Coach speak
“I think sometimes guys who are quiet or silent, they’re probably the smartest ones in the room. They’re taking all the information in. Jabril doesn’t need to be up front. He doesn’t need to have all the attention. He’s dedicated to his craft and wants to be the best football player he could be.” – North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz
Media moment
There’s no specific moment from Cox that stands out with the media. It’s the fact he was a transfer, in a pandemic, who had only been on campus for a month or two when LSU essentially made him a program ambassador. No matter how bad things got, Cox spoke with reporters and explained what went wrong and how he’d work to fix it. Only two or three players really did that. That’s a tough situation for anyone, let alone a new guy. It showed maturity.
