- Messages
- 58,638
- Reaction score
- 9,100
Fletcher Cox one of the first on the Dak Prescott bandwagon
Tim McManus
ESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Fletcher Cox was projecting big things for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott well before Prescott was a household name.
He was the one who put the QB on Andy Reid's radar way back in 2012 when Reid was with the Eagles.
"Cox told me, he says, ‘You wait and see this quarterback that we have coming up here. Man, this guy is gonna be something.’ And here he is,” the Kansas City Chiefs coach said back in August.
“I remember like it was yesterday," Cox recalled on Wednesday. "I told Andy, I said, ‘Prescott, the young kid, I said he’ll be real good someday.'"
It seems Cox was on the money.
Prescott and Cox both went to college at Mississippi State. Cox was in his last season with the Bulldogs when Prescott was a redshirt freshman, and remembers the young signal-caller's work ethic and willingness to learn.
What Prescott remembers about Cox is that he was an athletic "freak."
"I remember we ran the same 40-time," he said, "and I was just kind of amazed that a guy 300-plus pounds was running the same 40-time as me. But he's a freak, he's definitely good. All respect to Fletch."
Coming out of college, both players ran around a 4.7 40-yard dash.
"[The Eagles film shows] the same thing he was doing at Mississippi State, the same guy I knew however many years ago it was... I can say he's probably one of the guys that motivated me early throughout my career in college to work the way that I do," Prescott added.
Cox posted five sacks and 14.5 tackles for a loss in his last year at Mississippi State before being drafted 12th overall by the Eagles in 2012. Prescott began playing for the Bulldogs in that '12 season, and went on to compile over 9,000 passing yards with 70 touchdowns to 23 interceptions over four years.
The success has continued on this level early on, as Prescott has thrown seven TDs to one pick while helping guide the Cowboys to a 5-1 record.
“He’s patient in the pocket. He’s making a lot of good throws that I don’t think a lot of rookie quarterbacks can make," said Cox. "He’s not taking a lot of sacks, which is good. But most importantly, they’re having a lot of success running the football, so he doesn’t have to throw the ball a whole lot.”
Tim McManus
ESPN Staff Writer
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Fletcher Cox was projecting big things for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott well before Prescott was a household name.
He was the one who put the QB on Andy Reid's radar way back in 2012 when Reid was with the Eagles.
"Cox told me, he says, ‘You wait and see this quarterback that we have coming up here. Man, this guy is gonna be something.’ And here he is,” the Kansas City Chiefs coach said back in August.
“I remember like it was yesterday," Cox recalled on Wednesday. "I told Andy, I said, ‘Prescott, the young kid, I said he’ll be real good someday.'"
It seems Cox was on the money.
Prescott and Cox both went to college at Mississippi State. Cox was in his last season with the Bulldogs when Prescott was a redshirt freshman, and remembers the young signal-caller's work ethic and willingness to learn.
What Prescott remembers about Cox is that he was an athletic "freak."
"I remember we ran the same 40-time," he said, "and I was just kind of amazed that a guy 300-plus pounds was running the same 40-time as me. But he's a freak, he's definitely good. All respect to Fletch."
Coming out of college, both players ran around a 4.7 40-yard dash.
"[The Eagles film shows] the same thing he was doing at Mississippi State, the same guy I knew however many years ago it was... I can say he's probably one of the guys that motivated me early throughout my career in college to work the way that I do," Prescott added.
Cox posted five sacks and 14.5 tackles for a loss in his last year at Mississippi State before being drafted 12th overall by the Eagles in 2012. Prescott began playing for the Bulldogs in that '12 season, and went on to compile over 9,000 passing yards with 70 touchdowns to 23 interceptions over four years.
The success has continued on this level early on, as Prescott has thrown seven TDs to one pick while helping guide the Cowboys to a 5-1 record.
“He’s patient in the pocket. He’s making a lot of good throws that I don’t think a lot of rookie quarterbacks can make," said Cox. "He’s not taking a lot of sacks, which is good. But most importantly, they’re having a lot of success running the football, so he doesn’t have to throw the ball a whole lot.”
