J.J. Wilcox, SS, Georgia Southern: 2013 NFL Draft Player Profile

November 17, 2012; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Rantavious Wooten (17) runs with the ball against Georgia Southern Eagles safety JJ Wilcox (19) during the first quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Height: 6’0″

Weight: 213 pounds

Position Rank:

Drafted By:

40 Yard Dash: 4.51

Bench Press: 17

Vertical Jump: 35″

Broad Jump: 124″

20-Yard Shuttle: 4.09

Career Highlights (via Georgia Southern athletics site)

SENIOR (2012): Coaches First Team All-Southern Conference… Second Team All-Southern Conference by the league’s media, Southern Pigskin and College Sports Madness… Invited to the Senior Bowl… Moved from slot back to safety prior to the start of fall camp… Started in 13 of Georgia Southern’s 14 games… Also returned kickoffs… Finished second on the team with 88 tackles, two interceptions and three pass break ups… Returned 31 kicks for 780 yards and averaged 25.2 yards per kickoff return… His second interception of the season sealed the Eagles’ quarterfinal victory over Old Dominion (12/8)… Opened the season with a pick against Jacksonville (9/1)… Posted a season-high 12 tackles against Samford (9/29)… Tallied 10 stops against Wofford (10/13)… Recorded 9 tackles against FBS foe Georgia… Returned three kicks for 101 yards, including a long of 53 yards at The Citadel (9/8)… Tallied six returns for 147 yards two weeks later against Elon (9/22)… Returned five kickoffs at Georgia (11/17) for 117 yards… Recorded a season-long return of 57 yards against Howard (11/10).

JUNIOR (2011): Played in 13 games with eight starts… Started all three of the FCS Playoff games… Started the first four games of the year… Finished fourth on the team with 480 rushing yards on 52 carries… Averaged 9.2 yards per carry and totaled seven touchdowns… Caught seven passes on the season for 168 yards and one touchdown against Chattanooga (10/8)… Carried the ball eight times for 97 yards and one score and caught two passes for 63 yards against Tusculum (9/10)… Rushed six times for a season-high 115 yards and two touchdowns against Western Carolina (9/24)… Nearly posted a second 100 yard game and finished with 99 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries against Maine (12/10)… Totaled over 100 all-purpose yards in three games… Caught two passes for 35 yards at North Dakota State (12/17).

SOPHOMORE (2010): Moved to slotback from wide receiver position and played in all15 games with 14 starts… Owns single-season record for average yards per catch for 2010 with 25-yards-per-catch average with 22 receptions for 551 yards… caught three of Georgia Southern’s five TD receptions… involved in 12 plays of 20 or more yards… scored first career touchdown against Savannah State with precision 26-yard run down the right sideline… three carries for 36 yards and added a 23-yard reception, Jaybo Shaw’s first completion as an Eagle… was one of six different Eagles to score a rushing TD against the Tigers…Shaw and Wilcox teamed up again for another first against Navy with a 17-yard TD reception, a first for Wilcox and for Shaw in a Georgia Southern uniform… came up big in scoring series at Coastal Carolina with four rushes for 25 yards and two receptions (19, 15t) for 34 yards… totaled 37 yards rushing and 49 receiving yards total (3 catches) on the day to lead Eagles with 86 all-purpose yards…  also the recipient of the longest pass of the year, a 63-yard from Shaw at Chattanooga in the fourth quarter to put the Eagles in the red zone… 121 receiving yards at Chattanooga ranked as the season-best single-game total for Georgia Southern in 2010… also had 35 yards rushing in that game… 58-yard first-half touchdown pass accounted for his other receiving yards against the Mocs… rushing touchdown late in game against Wofford helped GSU pull within two… 18-yard pass from Shaw against Appalachian State brought GSU to the Mountaineer 13-yard line to set up for the tying score… scored first touchdown against Western Carolina and then grabbed 46-yard pass from Shaw on second scoring drive… had 107 yards on three receptions – two of 40-plus yards against Furman… brought Eagles to the Furman four-yard line with 47-yard catch early in second half… scored on two-point conversion against Paladins after one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter… made crucial tackle on Furman fumble recovery by bringing down Paladin at the GSU 8… scored two touchdowns, one in the first quarter, one in the fourth in Eagle playoff game against South Carolina State… only pass reception at William & Mary put the Eagles within striking distance for their go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

FRESHMAN (2009): Started four of eight games in 2009, missing three games due to injury… made first start at South Dakota State and had two receptions for 24 yards… posted career-best four catches for 37 yards vs. Western Carolina… returned from injury vs. Chattanooga… took a career-long 37-yard pass off 3rd-and-5 to extend the Eagles’ drive, eventually ending in the go-ahead TD score… picked up all 35 yards off three receptions in second half vs. Albany… long of 25 vs. Great Danes came on Eagles’ opening drive of the second half, leading to the go-ahead score… caught four passes for 31 yards at Appalachian State… had one catch for eight yards at Samford… registered one catch for seven yards and first down in final Georgia Southern drive vs. Furman.

Scouting Report/Player Notes

Built like a brick house out of the defensive backfield, Wilcox is one of the more intriguing safety prospects in this year’s draft. He combines his very solid size with great speed and as a former receiver, knows how to make plays on the ball. Coming from Georgia Southern, is a very raw player who will take some time to develop, but the way NFL teams are using more nickel and dime sets, he could be a really valuable player for somebody in the third or fourth round. I think he has as much upside as any mid-round player at the safety position, and I love his ability to close on plays. He needs to work on his one-on-one coverage yet, but that will come with time as he is still new to the position. If a team is willing to put the work in to help this kid develop, he could be a starter in a year or so, and a productive one at that. He can cover a lot of ground and he is not afraid to come up and hit people in the run game.

Video Highlights (via YouTube)