Ross Cockrell (born August 6, 1991) is an
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 wi ...
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 ...
who is a free agent. He was drafted by the
Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the
2014 NFL Draft. He played
college football at
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
.
Early life
Cockrell was born on August 6, 1991, to Serena and Keith Cockrell. His father was a college athlete and played football for
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.
His younger sister,
Anna
Anna may refer to:
People Surname and given name
* Anna (name)
Mononym
* Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke
* Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773)
* Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century)
* Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 12 ...
, is a sprinter and hurdler who competed in the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...
.
Cockrell attended Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland and later
Charlotte Latin High School in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
,
where he was selected to the all-conference and all-state teams twice. In his senior season, he had 29 receptions for 459 yards and 11 TDs while posting 34 tackles and three INTs helping lead Latin to the state championship game.
He also ran for the
Charlotte Latin High School track team. He won the
100 meters
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contes ...
at the 2008 CISAA championships, with a career-best time of 10.88 seconds. Also a top competitor in the
400 meters
The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is o ...
, he won the NCISAA 3A State championships with a personal-best time of 48.42 seconds.
Considered a three-star recruit by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'', he was rated as the 76th best
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 ...
prospect of his class.
College career
In 2010, Cockrell was selected to the Freshman All-America third team by Phil Steele in his freshman season. He was named to the Academic All-ACC as a Freshman.
In his sophomore season, he was a recipient of the Sonny Falcone Iron Duke Award.
He was an Honorable mention All-America by Sports Illustrated in his junior season.
Cockrell was selected to the first team All-ACC following his junior season.
He won the Willis Aldridge Award following his junior season in 2011.
He was selected to the first team Capital One Academic All-District III also in his junior season. Also in his junior season, he was selected to the Academic All-ACC. He was selected to the consensus preseason first team All-ACC by ''
Sporting News'', ''Phil Steele’s College Football Preview'', ''
Lindy’s Sports'', ''
Athlon Sports
Parade Media (previously known as AMG/Parade and Athlon Media Group) is a publisher founded in 1967 that is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville's Spencer Hays was its majority stockholder. It was purchased by The Arena Group in 2022 and now ...
'' and ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
'' prior to his senior season. On May 16, 2013, Cockrell was named to Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List prior to his senior season. Cockrell graduated from Duke that same month with a degree in political science and received a certificate in markets and management studies.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Entering the 2014 NFL Draft, many analysts and scouts had Cockrell projected as a third or fourth round draft choice. He was described as agile, consistent, aware, with good anticipation and a good feel for the game. The main issues that worried scouts were physical attributes like having small hands, a skinny lower body, thin frame, short arms, and his lack of strength during press coverage and taking on blocks. He attended the NFL combine in Indianapolis and was able to perform all the drills well.
Although he had a good showing at the combine, Cockrell decided to participate in all the events during Duke's Pro Day. He was able to improve on all of his combine numbers, including a sub-4.40 in the 40-yard dash, 12 bench presses of 225 lbs, and a 39-inch vertical.
Buffalo Bills
Cockrell was selected in the fourth round with the 109th overall pick in the
2014 NFL Draft by the
Buffalo Bills.
It made him the highest
Duke football player drafted since
Lennie Friedman with the 61st selection of the
1999 NFL Draft. On May 15, 2014, the Bills signed Cockrell to a four-year, $2.68 million rookie contract.
On August 31, 2015, Cockrell was released by the Bills.
Pittsburgh Steelers
On September 5, 2015, Cockrell signed with the
Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite signing with the team five days before the opening game of the 2015 NFL season, he received significant playing time that year, beginning in the Steelers' second
regular season
In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of ...
game against the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. On October 1, 2015, he intercepted his first career pass from
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 it ...
' quarterback
Joe Flacco and returned it for 37-yards. The following game, he collected a season-high 7 solo tackles against the
San Diego Chargers. On the year, he played 62% of the Steelers' defensive
snaps
Snaps ( ) is a Danish and Swedish word for a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal. A ritual that is associated with drinking snaps is a tradition in Scandinavia, especially in Denmark and Sweden, where ...
. During the regular season he recorded 44
tackles
Tackle may refer to:
* In football:
** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football
** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football
** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...
, 11
passes defensed, two
interceptions, one forced
fumble, and recovered one fumble. In his first season with the Steelers, Cockrell played in 15 regular season games, and started in seven of those.
On January 22, 2016, the Steelers signed Cockrell to a one-year contract extension worth $600,000. He began the season as the Steeler's second cornerback, opposite longtime veteran
William Gay. In the season opener against the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
, he made four combined tackles in the Steelers 38–16 victory. On October 9, 2016, Cockrell collected four solo tackles and three pass deflections during the Steelers 31–13 rout of the
New York Jets. The following week, he made a season-high five solo tackles and two pass deflections in a 15–30 loss to the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
. On November 13, 2016, he made four solo tackles, an assisted tackle, and a pass deflection during a 35–30 loss to the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
. Three days later, he was fined $9,115 for a late hit against
Lucky Whitehead
Rodney Darnell "Lucky" Whitehead Jr. (born June 2, 1992) is an American professional football wide receiver for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played high school football at Osbourn High School in Manassas, Virginia. He ...
during the loss to the Cowboys.
On December 25, 2016, Cockrell recorded a season-high seven combined tackles as the Steelers defeated the
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 it ...
31–27 and clinched the
AFC North. He finished the 2016 season with a career-high 62 combined tackles, 14 pass deflections, and 16 regular season starts. On January 8, 2017, Cockrell started in his first career postseason game and made eight solo tackles in a 30–12 AFC wild card game victory over the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...
.
New York Giants
On September 2, 2017, Cockrell was traded to the
New York Giants after the Pittsburgh Steelers signed cornerback
Joe Haden
after his release by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
.
Carolina Panthers
On March 23, 2018, Cockrell signed a two-year contract with the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...
. During training camp on July 30, 2018, Cockrell suffered a broken left tibia and fibula which required surgery. He was placed on injured reserve two days later.
In Week 3 of the 2019 season against the
Houston Texans, Cockrell intercepted a pass thrown by wide receiver
DeAndre Hopkins
DeAndre Rashaun Hopkins (born June 6, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first roun ...
and returned it for 37 yards in the 16–10 win. In Week 6 against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
, Cockrell intercepted a pass from
Jameis Winston
Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the He ...
in the 37–26 win.
After becoming a free agent in March 2020, Cockrell visited the
New York Giants on August 8, 2020, but did not sign with the team.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On September 23, 2020, Cockrell was signed to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...
practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on October 8 for the team's week 5 game against the
Chicago Bears, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He was promoted to the active roster on October 13, 2020. Cockrell played in all four games in the Buccaneers' playoff run that resulted in the team winning
Super Bowl LV.
Cockrell re-signed with the Buccaneers on April 13, 2021. He was released on August 16, 2022.
References
External links
Tampa Bay Buccaneers bioDuke Blue Devils bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cockrell, Ross
1991 births
Living people
Players of American football from Michigan
People from Farmington Hills, Michigan
American football cornerbacks
Duke Blue Devils football players
Buffalo Bills players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
New York Giants players
Carolina Panthers players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players