Packers 2023 Rookie Preview: UDFA Brenton Cox Jr., EDGE, Florida

The Green Bay Packers went after multiple EDGE prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, but general manager Brian Gutekunst took another swing on an extremely talented (but very risky) player, Brenton Cox Jr., in undrafted free agency.

A former second-team All-SEC selection, Cox was dismissed from the Florida Gators program late last season. This came just a few years after he had been kicked off of the Georgia Bulldogs as a true freshman.

Despite the serious off-field concerns, Cox is an impressive EDGE prospect with untapped potential. In his Packers Rookie Preview YouTube series, Tyler dropped a bonus UDFA episode to break down the team’s most fascinating undrafted signing, showcasing some intense flashes of greatness and some frustrating reps that show a concerning lack of discipline.

0:10 - Intro
0:36 - Brenton Cox Jr. background
2:02 - Pass-rush strengths
7:18 - Run defense strengths
12:05 - Weaknesses
18:58 - Outro

Cox was ranked 245th on the consensus big board, in large part due to the off-field issues. Despite all of the talent and significant production in college (34.5 TFLs and 14.5 sacks in 44 games), discipline, stiffness, and mental errors are a big reason that he wasn’t garnering as much attention at the NFL level.

The poor athletic testing scores also hurt Cox’s draft stock. Despite some impressive athletic feats on the field, the Florida prospect posted a Relative Athletic Score of just 6.25, which goes outside of Green Bay’s recent thresholds for rookies.

However, considering he was only a UDFA signing for Gutekunst and his staff, the potential that Cox could bring as an EDGE will make him one of the more fascinating rookies to keep an eye on during the preseason and training camp.