Green Bay Packers sign Brenton Cox to free agent deal

The Green Bay Packers are looking to shore up their pass rush and they’ve done so by signing Florida‘s Brenton Cox as an undrafted free agent. The Gators announced the move on Monday morning.

Cox is a bit of an enigma as a prospect, which is very much true of him dating back to his high school days.

Though he was a productive pass-rusher for Florida at times, Cox went through dismissals at two different programs, first at Georgia and then at Florida with only a few games remaining in his senior season.

In three seasons with Florida, Cox logged 100 tackles, 28.5 tackles for a loss, 12.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and five pass breakups. He clearly had a big impact as a pass-rusher, but his influence wasn’t always consistent.

Cox frequently had issues setting the edge against the run.

He has never been short on hype, though, in part thanks to his excellent first step and natural athleticism. Cox was a five-star prospect and was ranked as the No. 16 player in the nation in the 2018 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Cox was ranked as the No. 3 edge rusher in his class and the No. 4 overall player from the state of Georgia that cycle, hailing from Stockbridge (Ga.) Stockbridge.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Brenton Cox

There are considerable question marks around Cox’s ability to fit into a team’s culture, given his two dismissals at the college level.

But with those concerns off the table now thanks to Brenton Cox’s selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, here’s what one prominent NFL Draft analyst had to say about Cox.

Writes NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein in evaluating Cox:

“Former five-star recruit whose dismissals from both Georgia and Florida could hurt his draft stock. On the field, Cox is a linear attacker with heavy hands and the ability to effectively stack and shed blocks. While he has some bend-and-dip athleticism as a rusher, he’s primarily a brute-force attacker currently lacking the game plan or counters to beat offensive tackles possessing a quality anchor.

“He needs more technique work across the board but has the traits to create advantages for himself on the field. He has the potential to slot in as a rotational 3-4 outside ‘backer, but he needs to convince teams the issues that led to his dismissals from Georgia and Florida won’t resurface in the NFL.”

Among the primary strengths listed for Cox are his NFL body type, the power he plays with at the point of attack and his strength to push opposing tight ends around.

However, some of the concerns with Cox when it comes to potential weaknesses are his inconsistent technique and discipline, his slowness in recognizing play design at times and his failure to hit the breaks and become balanced before tackling.