Derek Sinclair Cox (born September 22, 1986) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

William & Mary Tribe The William & Mary Tribe is a moniker for the College of William & Mary's athletic teams and the university's community more broadly. William & Mary has won two team national championships (both in men's tennis), the AIAW championships in wo ...

. Cox was also a member of the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

, and

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

Early life

Cox attended Junius H. Rose High School in

Greenville, North Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is the county seat of and the most populous city in Pitt County, North Carolina, United States. It is the principal city of the Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the List of municipalities in North Carolina, 12t ...

. He played with

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

Andre Brown.

College career

Cox was a four-year starter for William & Mary. He was a two-time All-

Colonial Athletic Association The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...

selection and finished his senior season tied for fifth in the CAA with four interceptions and returned a pair of those for touchdowns.

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

Despite not being invited to the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

, Cox was selected by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. In his first NFL game, Cox intercepted a

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the In ...

pass intended for

Reggie Wayne Reginald Wayne (born November 17, 1978) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football f ...

and also recovered a fumble. Cox finished his rookie season with 58 tackles and 4 interceptions. Cox missed the first two games of the 2012 season due to an injury and returned in Week 3 to face the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

. Cox finished the 2012 campaign with a career best 60 tackles; he also had 1 FF and 4 interceptions.

San Diego Chargers

On March 13, 2013, Cox agreed to a four-year deal with the

In week 6, Cox intercepted Andrew Luck to help win the game. Cox was benched three times during the regular season due to inconsistent play. He lost his starting job to veteran Richard Marshall in week 13. Cox finished the season on special teams and managed career-lows, 38 tackles and only 1 interception. He was released on March 4, 2014.

Minnesota Vikings

On March 13, 2014, Cox signed a one-year contract with the

. He was cut after the third preseason game, on August 25, 2014.

Baltimore Ravens

On August 27, 2014, Cox signed a one-year contract with the

. He was released three days later. Cox did not play in the 2014 season.

New England Patriots

On June 8, 2015, Cox was signed by the

; the team released him on August 1, 2015.

NFL awards and honors

*''Athlon Sports'' All-Rookie Team (2009) *''Ourlads Scouting'' All-Rookie Team (2009) *2010 Pro Bowl Alternate

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

Minnesota Vikings bio

Jacksonville Jaguars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Derek 1986 births Living people People from Winterville, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina American football cornerbacks William & Mary Tribe football players Jacksonville Jaguars players San Diego Chargers players Minnesota Vikings players Baltimore Ravens players New England Patriots players