The Minnesota Vikings landed one of the bigger steals of the early goings in the 2017 NFL Draft when they traded up for Dalvin Cook. He’s likely going to slide into the starting lineup immediately as the heir apparent to Adrian Peterson.
Let's Cook! pic.twitter.com/8qeKR80zmm
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) April 28, 2017
Moving up from the No. 48 spot, giving up that pick and a fourth-round pick (No. 128 overall), Minnesota landed Cook at No. 41 overall in a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Trade with #Vikings:
-Minnesota gets 41st overall pick
–#Bengals get 48th overall pick & MIN 4th Rd pick (128th overall)#NFLDraft https://t.co/XBFzrAsim6
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) April 28, 2017
This is a guy that some people who evaluate talent for a living had rated higher than the likes of Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey.
In his three years at Florida State, Cook was one of the best running backs in the nation, racking up 5,399 yards from scrimmage and 48 touchdowns. He averaged seven yards per touch and has breakaway speed to go along with a bruising style of running that should remind Vikings fans of the guy who just left this past offseason.
Concerns about his health likely had a lot to do with Cook’s slide into the second round. He certainly has first-round talent, and the Vikings will be stacked at the running back position now, as Cook joins Latavius Murray, who was signed in free agency.