Darius Slay, Benardrick McKinney and Fletcher Cox all earned spots on the 2019 Pro Bowl roster.
#FromStateToSundays: Three Former Bulldogs Earn Pro Bowl Selections
December 21, 2018 | Football
by Taylor Shirey, Assistant Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Three former Mississippi State football standouts were honored by the National Football League earlier this week, earning spots on the 2019 Pro Bowl roster.
The Bulldog trio of linebacker Benardrick McKinney (Houston Texans), defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (Philadelphia Eagles) and cornerback Darius Slay (Detriot Lions) earned Pro Bowl selections on Tuesday night. The three former MSU stars represent the most Pro Bowl selections for State since 2016 when Cox was joined by Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) and K.J. Wright (Seattle Seahawks) as All-Pro honorees.
A total of 21 former Southeastern Conference stars were selected to 2019 Pro Bowl rosters with Alabama and LSU leading the way with four selections each. Mississippi State and South Carolina boasted the second-most selections among SEC programs with three.
Cox had yet another dominant season on the Eagles' defensive line to earn his fourth straight Pro Bowl selection. He is just the 10th player in franchise history with at least four straight All-Pro nods. Cox racked up the second-most quarterback hits in the NFL this season with 29 and has added 7.5 sacks. Earlier this season, he became the Eagles' all-time leader in career sacks for interior defensive lineman.
Slay picked up his second straight Pro Bowl selection on Tuesday. He is the first Lions player to go to back-to-back Pro Bowls since Calvin Johnson went to six straight from 2010 to 2015. Slay is just the third Detroit cornerback to make the Pro Bowl in back-to-back years in the Super Bowl era, joining Lem Barney and Dre Bly.
The sixth-year cornerback has three interceptions through 14 games this year and his 15 passes defended are third most in the NFL behind only Kyle Fuller (21) and Stephon Gilmore (18). Since entering the NFL in 2013, no one has defended more passes than Slay with 89 total. He's totaled 11 interceptions in the past two season, tied for the most by a cornerback in that span. He has 12 games in which he's defended at least three passes, the most in the league over the last six seasons.
Earning his first Pro Bowl selection of his career, McKinney leads the Texans with 96 total tackles (58 solo) to go along with 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, one forced fumble and a single-season, career-high four passes defended. He ranks 11th in the AFC in total tackles this season. Since 2016, McKinney has totaled 320 tackles, which ranks fifth in the AFC. In Houston franchise history, McKinney ranks ninth in total tackles (378) and seventh in tackles for loss (30).
The 2019 NFL Pro Bowl is set for Jan. 27, 2019 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
STARKVILLE – Three former Mississippi State football standouts were honored by the National Football League earlier this week, earning spots on the 2019 Pro Bowl roster.
The Bulldog trio of linebacker Benardrick McKinney (Houston Texans), defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (Philadelphia Eagles) and cornerback Darius Slay (Detriot Lions) earned Pro Bowl selections on Tuesday night. The three former MSU stars represent the most Pro Bowl selections for State since 2016 when Cox was joined by Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys) and K.J. Wright (Seattle Seahawks) as All-Pro honorees.
A total of 21 former Southeastern Conference stars were selected to 2019 Pro Bowl rosters with Alabama and LSU leading the way with four selections each. Mississippi State and South Carolina boasted the second-most selections among SEC programs with three.
Cox had yet another dominant season on the Eagles' defensive line to earn his fourth straight Pro Bowl selection. He is just the 10th player in franchise history with at least four straight All-Pro nods. Cox racked up the second-most quarterback hits in the NFL this season with 29 and has added 7.5 sacks. Earlier this season, he became the Eagles' all-time leader in career sacks for interior defensive lineman.
Slay picked up his second straight Pro Bowl selection on Tuesday. He is the first Lions player to go to back-to-back Pro Bowls since Calvin Johnson went to six straight from 2010 to 2015. Slay is just the third Detroit cornerback to make the Pro Bowl in back-to-back years in the Super Bowl era, joining Lem Barney and Dre Bly.
The sixth-year cornerback has three interceptions through 14 games this year and his 15 passes defended are third most in the NFL behind only Kyle Fuller (21) and Stephon Gilmore (18). Since entering the NFL in 2013, no one has defended more passes than Slay with 89 total. He's totaled 11 interceptions in the past two season, tied for the most by a cornerback in that span. He has 12 games in which he's defended at least three passes, the most in the league over the last six seasons.
Earning his first Pro Bowl selection of his career, McKinney leads the Texans with 96 total tackles (58 solo) to go along with 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, one forced fumble and a single-season, career-high four passes defended. He ranks 11th in the AFC in total tackles this season. Since 2016, McKinney has totaled 320 tackles, which ranks fifth in the AFC. In Houston franchise history, McKinney ranks ninth in total tackles (378) and seventh in tackles for loss (30).
The 2019 NFL Pro Bowl is set for Jan. 27, 2019 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
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