Derek Sinclair Cox (born September 22, 1986) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the

2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at William & Mary. Cox was also a member of the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

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

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

, and the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

Early life

Cox attended

Junius H. Rose High School Junius H. Rose High School (known colloquially as J.H. Rose, Rose High or simply Rose) is a public high school in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Pitt County Schools district. History J.H. Rose High School was e ...

Greenville, North Carolina Greenville is the county seat of and the most populous city in Pitt County, North Carolina, Pitt County, North Carolina, United States; the principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area, Greenville metropolitan area; and th ...

. 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 (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

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)#Offen ...

Andre Brown.

College career

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

Colonial Athletic Association The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universi ...

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 Footb ...

, Cox was selected by the Jaguars in the third round of the

. In his first NFL game, Cox intercepted a

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

pass intended for Reggie Wayne 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

. 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 draft picks Jacksonville Jaguars players San Diego Chargers players Minnesota Vikings players Baltimore Ravens players New England Patriots players