College career

Cox attended Yazoo City High School in Yazoo City, Mississippi, where he played football and basketball and ran track. Cox played three seasons at Mississippi State University. In football, Cox was named an All-American by Pro Football Weekly as a junior in 2011, after totalling 103 total tackles, including 11 quarterback sacks and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. As a senior, he had 104 total tackles, including 10 quarterback sacks, and also added one interception and a fumble recovery. He was selected to play in the Mississippi-Alabama High School All-Star game.

He was also on the Yazoo High track & field team, where he competed in the high jump and in the relays. At the 2009 Division 3-4A Meet, he placed 8th in the high jump event, with a leap of 1.74 meters. In relays, he had personal-best times of 44.32 seconds in the 4 × 100m relay and 1:32.63 minutes in the 4 × 200m relay. He was also credited with a 4.47 time in the 40-yard dash, and benched 300 lb.

Regarded as a four-star recruit by national recruiting web site Rivals.com, he was rated as the No. 5 weak side defensive end in the country, and the No. 2 prospect in the state of Mississippi. He was also considered the No. 17 defensive end prospect in the country by Scout.com. He chose to attend MSU over scholarship offers from LSU, Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss.

Professional career

2012 NFL Draft

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	Arm length	Hand size	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
6 ft 4 in	298 lb	34½ in	10 in	4.77 s	1.65 s	2.65 s	4.53 s	7.07 s	26.0 in	9 ft 0 in	30 reps

The Philadelphia Eagles traded up from the 15th selection to pick Cox 12th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. He is the highest selected Mississippi State Bulldog since Michael Haddix in 1983, and the highest selected Bulldog defensive lineman since Jimmy Webb in 1975. Cox was signed to a four-year contract on June 18, 2012.

Philadelphia Eagles

On October 14, 2012, Cox was ejected after throwing punches against Detroit Lions players, and was fined $21,000. During his rookie year in 2012, Cox played 15 games with 39 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 4 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble.

With the Eagles switching to a 3-4 type defense in 2013, Cox played defensive end. In 2013, Cox started all 16 games with 44 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 passes defended, and 1 fumble recovery. The Eagles finished the season with a 10-6 record to clinch an NFC East pennant, but lost to the New Orleans Saints in the wild card round by a score of 24-26.

The 2014 season was a breakout year for Cox, acquiring 61 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries and 5 run stuffs in 16 games. His presence along the Eagles defensive line led to league wide recognition and Second Team All-Pro honors. On April 27, 2015, The Eagles picked up his 5th year option, keeping him with the team through the 2016 season. In a matchup against the Saints in week 5 of the 2015 season, Cox recorded 3.0 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, already matching his season total from 2014 in sacks (4.0) and matching his career total from 2012-2014 in forced fumbles (2) within only 5 games.

On December 9, 2015, the Philadelphia Eagles announced Cox was the recipient of their 2015 Ed Block Courage Award, as voted by the players inside the Eagles' locker room. Cox finished the 2015 year with 71 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 2 passes defended, and 3 forced fumbles. For his efforts, he was an All-Star selection for the first time of his career.

Season statistics

			Tackles					Interceptions						Fumbles
Year	Team	G	Comb	Total	Ast	Sack	SFTY	PDef	Int	TDs	Yds	Avg	Lng	FF
2012	Philadelphia Eagles	15	39	32	7	5.5	0	4	0	0	0	0.0	0	1
2013	Philadelphia Eagles	16	41	29	12	3.0	0	1	0	0	0	0.0	0	0
2014	Philadelphia Eagles	16	61	48	13	4.0	0	2	0	0	0	0.0	0	1
2015	Philadelphia Eagles	15	63	44	19	9.5	0	2	0	0	0	0.0	0	3

[ Source: Wikipedia ]