J. J. Wilcox

J. J. Wilcox

refer to caption

Wilcox in 2015
No. 27 Dallas Cowboys
Position: Free safety
Personal information
Date of birth: (1991-02-14) February 14, 1991
Place of birth: Cairo, Georgia
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school: Cairo (GA)
College: Georgia Southern
NFL Draft: 2013 / Round: 3 / Pick: 80
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2016
Total tackles: 204
Interceptions: 4
Passes deflections: 12
Forced fumbles: 1
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

James Edward Wilcox, Jr. (born February 14, 1991) is an American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia Southern.

Early years

Wilcox was born in Cairo, Georgia. He attended Cairo High School, and played high school football for the Cairo Syrupmakers. He was a first-team all-region and first-team all-area selection at wide receiver, helping the Cairo Syrupmakers win the 2008 state championship.

He recorded 22 catches for 400 yards and five touchdowns, and was also a standout on defense, recording 77 tackles, three forced fumbles and one interception his senior year.

College career

Wilcox attended Georgia Southern University, where he played for the Georgia Southern Eagles football team from 2009 to 2012. He started off his career as a wide receiver, before moving to safety as a senior.

He started in 13 of Georgia Southern's 14 games, and finished second on the team with 88 tackles, two interceptions and three pass break ups. He also returned 31 kicks for 780 yards and averaged 25.2 yards per kickoff return.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 0 in 213 lb31 in9 in 4.57 s 4.09 s 7.02 s 35 in 17 reps
All values from NFL Combine

[1]

Dallas Cowboys

2013

Wilcox was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round (80th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.[2] Even though coming out of college he had only played safety for one year, the Cowboys were going to name him the starter at free safety on the day that his mother died. The two weeks he took to deal with his personal loss slowed his progress and the team decided to name veteran Will Allen the starter instead.[3] He would eventually pass Allen on the depth chart and start five consecutive games, until suffering a right sprained knee in practice, that forced him to miss 3 games and being replaced by rookie Jeff Heath. He finished the year in a reserve role with 38 tackles.

2014

In the 2014 season, the Cowboys showed confidence in Wilcox by not drafting or signing a free agent safety to compete with him. He would start 16 games and register 74 tackles (fourth on the team), 3 interceptions, 5 passes defensed and a forced fumble. On week 15 he recorded his second interception of the year and a forced fumble that were key in a 35-24 against the divisional rivals Philadelphia Eagles. The next week against the Indianapolis Colts, he intercepted an Andrew Luck pass and returned it 46 yards at the end of the half, which contributed to 42-7 win and put Dallas in the playoffs.

2015

Wilcox struggled in the season opener against the Washington Redskins in pass coverage and eventually lost his starting safety position to rookie Byron Jones.[4] He registered one interception, 3 passes defensed and one fumble recovery.

References

  1. ↑ "J.J. Wilcox NFL Combine results". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Cowboys draft safety JJ Wilcox in third round". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Cowboys believe J.J. Wilcox will blossom". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Byron Jones' skill set has put J.J. Wilcox on bench". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
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