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Perrish Cox
6-0/195
Oklahoma State Senior
40: 4.58

Pros: He has a great combo of size and speed to match up with receivers on the next level. Does a good job keeping things in front of him. Defends the deep ball well and you're not going to beat him on a jump ball. Has closing burst in run support, and can make the stop on the edge. Flashes potential as a press corner due to his size. Works as a punt and kickoff returner with good speed and burst there.
Cons: Needs to improve his footwork and technique. Late out of his backpedal, gives up too much cushion, and doesn't defend well passes underneath. Needs to do a better job getting the jam in press coverage. Tentative at times in run support. Not a great tackler and needs to do a better job wrapping up. Dances too much as a return specialist, looking for the big play.
Overview: Cox has all the physical tools you look for in a corner. He was a productive return specialist with 2 punts and 4 kickoffs taken to the house. He had his most productive season as a senior with 4 picks and 15 pass breakups which matches his combined production in the two previous seasons. But Cox is too undisciplined both in coverage and as a return specialist to expect big things when he first gets into the league.
NFL Forecast: He'll be a developmental corner that if he can be coached up and play more disciplined could be one of the better corners in the league because because of his tall frame won't have trouble matching up with the biggest receivers in the league. But he tends to rely too much on his physical tools rather than playing smart and disciplined. ANd he's a player that if that can't be coached out of him, he won't ever meet his potential. He's a good enough athlete that I think even on his physical tools alone he'll be an effective to good starter. But he can be a great corner if he works at it. There is a lot that reminds me of DeAngelo Hall, but bigger. So a better comparison would probably be Antonio Cromartie. As a returner, he can compete there, but he dances too much. I think he'll make a better punt returner than kickoff guy, but I'm sure if given enough opportunities he'll make big plays. The problem is he's just as liable to get a 5-yard loss as he is to go 50 yards.
ATL Forecast: Cox brings a lot to the table that the current corners do not which is size and speed. He can play the deep ball better than Houston because of that. And he has the size that Owens and Grimes do not have. But he'll give up his share of big plays because of his undisciplined play. And the Falcons could be finding themselves waiting for him to ascend to the next level several years down the line and it never happening. But if he can be coached up, improve his technique, footwork, and be more consistent in run support, then he can be a very good addition to the Falcons secondary. He could come in right away and compete as a starter, but would probably struggle at times as a rookie. The issue with Cox in Atlanta is consistency. He'd improve the Falcons team, but whether he can develop the consistency to be a lock-down No. 1 corner remains to be seen.
Value: Cox has Top 25 potential, but because of his undisciplined play I'd feel more comfortable taking him at the beginning of the second round, paying him less money rather than guaranteeing a boatload.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

SPEED: 4.5
MAN COVERAGE: 3.0
ZONE COVERAGE: 3.5
TACKLING: 2.5
BALL SKILLS: 4.0

Perrish Cox - CB - Oklahoma State
Height: 5'11
Weight: 189
40 Time: 4.45
Projected: 2nd-3rd

Positives

- Big figure at CB (6'0 198 lbs.)
- 3 Year Starter at CB
- Has improved every year
- Dangerous kick returner (6 career KR TD's)
- Strong, aggressive CB who likes to stay close and fight with WR's
- Great recognition skills, anticipates what the WR is going to do
- Shows the ability to make a great break on the ball
- Long arms to break-up passes
- At his best in press man to man
- Plays well in zone
- Good athlete
- Low 4.4 speed though it doesn't look like it on the field
- Prefers to control the WR with his hands and physicality opposed to running with them
- Can shutdown some of the best WR's in the country

Negatives

- Poor tackler, doesn't get low enough and uses bad technique
- Gets blocked out of running plays too easily by WR's despite his big frame
- Catches with his chest
- Questions about his recovery speed if he can't get his hands on the WR
- Has been arrested for driving with a suspended license


Overview

Cox has the potential to be a shutdown CB in the NFL due to his combination of speed, size and technique. His ability to read plays is quite amazing. He can read the route of the WR by his body language or recognizes the formation and he can determine the play. He prefers to play man but he didn't look bad in zone, especially due to his instincts. He has been a red flag to some teams due to his past off the field issues. He has a lot of talent but it still remains to see whether or not he can stay focused, put it all together, and become the shutdown CB he is capable of becoming.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

SPEED: 4.0
MAN COVERAGE: 3.5
ZONE COVERAGE: 3.5
TACKLING: 2.0
BALL SKILLS: 3.5

Pros: Has great size and good speed and projects well to man coverage schemes in the NFL. He also matches up well against bigger, more physical receivers which is always in high demand. He locates the ball very well in the air and mirrors receivers well when they are running their routes, and plays the ball very well and makes plays on the ball well as evidenced by his impressive pass break-up numbers. His long arms and his good leaping ability help with pass deflections, and shows good ability to break on the ball. He is also a productive return man who actually has very good vision as a returner.

Cons: He gives up a lot of underneath plays. He can take bigger guys out of the game easily, but struggles against smaller, quicker receivers for this reason. He gives receivers a lot of cushion (this may be because of the scheme he was in) and does not tackle well at all, and has issues taking good angles to ball-carriers and does not break down well in space to make the tackle. He doesn’t have very good hands either, though they are decent. With his long arms and good size he should be better in press coverage than he is, and should also be better versus the run than he is. He is a pure cover corner in the sense that he does not fly to the ball on run plays.

Overall: Cox has a lot of potential as a NFL corner. He reminds me a lot of Antonio Cromartie but without the elite physical attributes. He has good ball skills and plays the ball well in flight, and matches up well with bigger, more physical receivers because of his size, arm length, leaping ability and speed. However because he gives up so much cushion and needs refinement in his backpedal he struggles against smaller, quicker receivers. He could contribute as a rookie, but without good coaching and some development he will struggle when he does get playing time. He has #1 corner potential, but if he isn’t developed well enough to improve some of his fundamentals (backpedal, jamming and tackling) he will not realize this potential. However if he improves those areas of game they would complement his ability to neutralize bigger, stronger receivers very nicely and it would probably make him a very good starting corner in the NFL. He isn’t a boom or bust guy, but he has a high ceiling and probably a nickel cornerback floor depending on how well he cleans up his fundamentals.

Projection: 2nd-3rd round: If he didn’t have a couple of off-field questions (such as his suspension) I think he would go higher, but he is in a bit of a free-fall right now. I think he would be a terrific value in the late 2nd round though, and I think that is ultimately where he will end up. But I could also see him sliding into the early 3rd round.

SKILLS
1-poor, 2-weak, 3-above average, 4-very good, 5-elite

SPEED: 4.0
MAN COVERAGE: 3.5
ZONE COVERAGE: 3.0
TACKLING: 2.0
BALL SKILLS: 4.0