STARKVILLE — Fletcher Cox has a chance tonight to be the highest Mississippi State University player taken in the National Football League draft in a generation.
Nearly every draft expert projects the defensive tackle will be taken in the top 10.
The only question remains is which team will pick Cox. The answer will come sometime tonight when the NFL holds the first round of its 2012 draft in New York. ESPN’s coverage begins at 7 p.m.
ESPN.com draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. broke one of his rules of mock drafts by having the Philadelphia Eagles trade up from their 15th pick to the seventh spot held by the Jacksonville Jaguars to take Cox.
“The Eagles move up to get a defensive tackle they covet, and Jacksonville gets to move down because they can’t maximize value for a top need here,” Kiper said. “Cox has a chance to become a Pro Bowl player regardless of where you line him up inside. The Eagles simply have to become stronger against the run, and up the middle, in general, and Cox provides an impact.”
NFL Network Insider Jason La Confora reported Tuesday afternoon several team sources believe the St. Louis Rams could take Cox, who played defensive tackle at MSU, with the No. 6 pick. He also reported some clubs are exploring options to trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to select Cox with the No. 5 pick.
MSU’s last players to be selected in the top 10 was running back Michael Haddix (No. 8 in 1983 by Philadelphia) and linebacker Johnie Cooks (No. 2 in 1982 by Baltimore).
The spotlight might be surprising when you consider five months ago Cox was undecided about whether to forgo his senior season at MSU. He asked the NFL Draft Advisory Board to determine where he might be selected. He was projected to be an early second-round selection.
“I stayed humble the whole process,” Cox said. “That’s what I’m known for, so I was pretty sure teams knew who I was, but I think the combine and workouts just got them more excited in me.”
According to the new NFL collective bargaining agreement, the signing bonus money from a rookie contract for picks from No. 6 to No. 15 ranges from $9.3 to $16.3 million.
“If you’re a first-round pick, that’s life-changing money, and I tell every one of them to go. If you’re not then we encourage them all
to come back,” MSU head coach Dan Mullen said after the Music City Bowl win in December.
Cox, a 295-pound defensive lineman from Yazoo City, had 14 1/2 tackles for loss and five sacks last season.
“Fletcher Cox, the more tape I watch, the more he just grew on me, and I love his versatility,” ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said in a recent conference call. “I think he plays the game hard. I think he can rush the passer both from the inside and the outside, different styles, more of a three technique.”
Cox has told The Dispatch he and 14-15 of his closest friends and family will be at Radio City Music Hall for the draft. Mullen also will be in attendance to congratulate Cox for being the first player from his initial recruiting class in Starkville to be drafted.
“It’s a dream come true because I used to sit at home and wonder if I’d ever be good enough to be in that room in New York to hear my name called to put a team’s hat on,” Cox said.
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