The Eagles traded up from #15 to #12 with the Seattle Seahawks and got their man, Mississippi St DT Fletcher Cox. The 6-4, 298 Cox has been rumored to be the Eagles #1 target for months now, so when the 12th pick came up with him still on the board, the Eagles left nothing to chance. They gave up their 1st, a 4th and a 6th in the trade.
Cox should be a perfect fit in Jim Washburn's wide 9 system, which calls for athletic DTs who can get penetration. That description fits Cox to a T. He has a rare combination of a size, speed and strength that made him one of the stars of the NFL combine. He ran a 4.79 40 and did 30 reps on the bench.
But unlike some "workout warriors," Cox has the tape to back it up. He got off to a slow start last season, but dominated in the later half of the year for the Bulldogs.
Cox was one of the players held a private workout with, in fact they had Jim Washburn himself conducting that workout.
Scouts Inc says the additions of DeMeco Ryans and Fletcher Cox will dramatically upgrade the interior of the Eagles defense.
Even though it initially looks like the Eagles are in pretty good shape on the inside of their defensive line, in this Wide Nine defensive scheme, where they really play their linebackers on the edge, it gives the interior of this defense a lot of space to cover. He should be an excellent inside penetrator and a lot of one-gap schemes and the Eagles love to use a deep rotation on the defensive line and come at offenses in waves. Andy Reid will never pass on a good interior player. With Cox upfront and newly acquired DeMeco Ryans at MLB coming from Houston as a free agent, the interior of this defense has dramatically been upgraded.