Eli Cox
| No. 65 – Houston Texans | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Center |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 19, 2000 Nicholasville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 309 lb (140 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | West Jessamine (Nicholasville) |
| College: | Kentucky (2019–2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Eli Cox (born October 19, 2000) is an American professional football center for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Early life
Cox was born in Nicholasville, Kentucky.[1] He attended West Jessamine High School where he played football, helping his team compile a record of 6–5 in his senior year.[2] He was invited to the Louisville vs. Bluegrass Senior All-Star game and was ranked the 14th-best Kentucky recruit in his class by 247Sports.[1] A three-star prospect, he committed to play college football for the Kentucky Wildcats, the lone Power Five team to give him an offer.[3][4]
College career
Cox redshirted as a true freshman for Kentucky in 2019, then appeared in eight games as a backup guard in 2020.[4] He won a starting role at right guard in 2021.[4] He was a mid-season All-America selection but then suffered a season-ending hand injury in Kentucky's ninth game of the season.[5] He was Kentucky's starting center in 2022 and then moved back to guard for the start of the 2023 season, before returning to center mid-season in 2023.[6] He served as a team captain in the 2023 season, being named second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC).[7] He returned in 2024 and started all 12 games at center, being named third-team All-SEC.[1] He finished his collegiate career having started 47 games, 35 at center and 12 at right guard, while having played under four different offensive line coaches.[8] He was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine after the 2024 season.[9]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+1⁄4 in (1.94 m) |
306 lb (139 kg) |
31 in (0.79 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
5.02 s | 1.75 s | 2.90 s | 4.58 s | 7.63 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) |
9 ft 1 in (2.77 m) | ||
| All values from NFL Combine[10][11] | ||||||||||||
Cox was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent on May 9, 2025.[12]
Personal life
Cox is married.[13]
References
- ^ a b c "Eli Cox". Kentucky Wildcats.
- ^ Moore, Josh (May 7, 2018). "Local star gives UK football first in-state commit in more than two years". Lexington Herald-Leader.
- ^ Vaught, Larry (May 10, 2018). "West Jessamine's Eli Cox picks UK". The Advocate-Messenger. p. B1, B2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Vaught, Larry (September 3, 2021). "Cox Finally Gets His Chance To Start For UK". The Winchester Sun. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Vaught, Larry (August 3, 2023). "Eli Cox wants to be part of 'physical, nasty' offensive line this season". Jessamine Journal.
- ^ Hale, Jon (November 29, 2023). "Where Kentucky football offensive line stands after two important return announcements". Lexington Herald-Journal.
- ^ Vaught, Larry (August 1, 2024). "Eli Cox and his family in no hurry for UK career to end". The Advocate-Messenger. Archived from the original on March 5, 2025 – via archive.today.
- ^ "Eli Cox NFL Draft 2025: Scouting Report for Kentucky IOL". Bleacher Report. December 18, 2024.
- ^ Woods, Kory (March 3, 2025). "Kentucky OL aims to emulate Lions Pro Bowler's tough, consistent play". MLive.com.
- ^ "Eli Cox Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ "Eli Cox College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (5-9-2025)". HoustonTexans.com. May 9, 2025.
- ^ Vaught, Larry (August 26, 2024). "Married life suits UK's Cox". The Jessamine Journal.