BILLS: Kennard Cox rookie card

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DOUG BENZ/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

July 30, 2008

By Jay Skurski<br><a href="mailto:skurskij@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Jay</a> The Niagara Gazette Wed Jul 30, 2008, 10:50 PM EDT

Kennard Cox

- AGE: 22

- DRAFT: Seventh round, 251st overall

- COLLEGE: Pitt

- POSITION: Cornerback

- HEIGHT: 6-0

- WEIGHT: 192

- HOMETOWN: Miami

When Kennard Cox’s playing days are over, it’s possible he could one day be on the other side of interviews with the media.

The Buffalo Bills’ 10th and final selection (seventh round, 251st overall) in April’s NFL Draft, Cox graduated from Pitt in December 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and rhetoric. He spent the fall of 2006 interning with the school’s sports information department.

“I like the media, but right now I’m just trying to be a Buffalo Bill,” he said after a recent training camp practice.

If he achieves his goal, it wouldn’t exactly be news to family members. Three of Cox’s cousins — including Bills wide receiver Roscoe Parrish — also play in the league. All four of the players grew up in the football factory of Miami.

“Me and Roscoe spent a lot of time down home with each other (this offseason),” said Cox, a cornerback. “It’s helped out a lot mentally having him here.”

Parrish was surprised, and excited, to learn the Bills took Cox just one pick before the final selection of the draft.

“It’s a good thing, you know?” Parrish said. “You’ve got family on the team. You’ve got somebody to talk to, somebody who can relate to your problems. I just told him the ins and outs of Buffalo , what he can expect.”

For more technical advice on the nuances of playing cornerback, Cox can stay in the family. Two more of his cousins — Torrie Cox and Marcus Hudson — play for Tampa Bay and San Francisco , respectively.

“They help me mentally, that’s all they can do,” Kennard Cox said. “Physically, I have to take care of myself.”

Bills defensive backs coach George Catavolos said Cox’s best attribute is his physical play.

“He’s a hard-hitting corner,” the coach said.

Depth at cornerback during training camp is a strength for the team after the additions of first-round pick Leodis McKelvin and the signing of veteran Will James, so Cox has limited opportunities to impress.

“In the position he’s in, he’s not getting as many reps as some other people, so he has to make the most of them,” Catavolos said.

That’s where family comes in.

“I told him the road he needs to take to get here,” Parrish said. “But he already knows what needs to be done. He’s one step ahead of the game.”

Cox, who will turn 23 on Aug. 17, has a son, Quanard, and a daughter, Kanaria.

Contact reporter Jay Skurski at 693-1000, ext. 117.

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