The Buffalo Bills selected Georgia running back James Cook with their second-round pick at the 2022 NFL draft.
Most see the fit, but CBS Sports isn’t rushing to call it a successful pick just yet. In fact, the outlet handed Buffalo a solid overall grade of ‘B’ for their 2022 draft haul, however, Cook was called their worst selection.
Here’s how draft analyst Pete Prisco breaks it down:
Worst Pick: I like second-round running back James Cook, but is he much different than Devin Singletary? Why not a bigger back who can run between the tackles?
While Singletary and Cook could potentially be a similar built in terms of not being big, bruising rushers, they do have differences. First, coming out of the draft, Singletary had little prowess in the passing game. Cook thrives there.
Singletary is also much more experienced carrying the ball–Cook isn’t. But both can still do what the other does. Buffalo could see the benefits of using both players.
While the analysis was tough on Cook, it wasn’t all bad. The selection of Kaiir Elam in Round 1 was praised, as was Khalil Shakir’s in the fifth-round:
Best Pick: First-round corner Kaiir Elam fills a need and will end up being an outstanding cover player. He has the length and talent to be a lock-down man player.
The Skinny: This team doesn’t have a lot of holes, but they filled a big one with Elam. Cook was a bit of a surprise, but I did like fifth-round receiver Khalil Shakir. This is the team to beat in the AFC.
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