Tag: James Cook

National reactions: RB James Cook to Bills praised as fit

National reactions: RB James Cook to #Bills praised as fit:

The Buffalo Bills made their second pick at the 2022 NFL draft after two trade backs. Despite the wait, the selection of Georgia running back James Cook was praised.

In Cook, the Bills are getting a player that needs to clean up some things, but he’s still a Day 1 weapon. Cook can catch the ball better than any 2022 prospect, and folks nationally loved envisioning that with Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen.

With that, here are some national media reactions to the Bills’ selection of Cook in the second round:

Chris Simms, NBC Sports

Ian Rapoport, NFL Network

Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Network

Michael Florio, NFL Network

Justin Melo, The Draft Network

Pro Football Focus

Graham Barfield, Fantasy Points

Albert Breer, MMQB

Blayne Gilmer, UGA Sports

Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports

Art Stapleton, NJ.com

Mike Clay, ESPN

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Instant analysis: Bills add to backfield, pick James Cook in Round 2

Instant analysis: #Bills add to backfield, pick James Cook in Round 2:

The Buffalo Bills selected Georgia running back James Cook in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Cook, a senior from Georgia, played in 50 games for the Bulldogs, During his senior season, Cook led Georgia in all-purpose yards (1,032 yards). In four seasons, Cook rushed 230 times for 1,503 rushing yards and 14 scores on the ground. Cook added 67 receptions for 730 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions.

Cook is the third running back selected over the past four seasons for the Bills. All three of the selections occurred on Day 2 of the Draft. Cook joins Devin Singletary and Zack Moss, giving Buffalo a full complement of backfield options.

Of the trio, Cook is the most dynamic runner. He reads zone-blocking well and explodes into space. Cook’s film shows a strong ability to change direction quickly.

When necessary, Cook uses good patience to set up running lanes, slashing through holes. Cook has good hands out of the backfield as well:

The knock on Cook is that he doesn’t have the power and frame to be a three-down back in the NFL. He will be a situational runner for the Bills. In addition, Cook has some work to do as a blocker.

Buffalo traded down twice prior to picking Cook. The Bills moved from the 57th overall spot down to No. 60 in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then, the Bills dropped down the order three more spots to No. 63 after swapping with the Cincinnati Bengals.

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2022 NFL draft: Bills select Georgia RB James Cook in second round

2022 NFL draft: #Bills select Georgia RB James Cook in second round:

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The Buffalo Bills have finally made a second round pick.

After trading back not once, but twice, in Round 2 of the 2022 NFL draft, the Bills have selected Georgia running back James Cook at the No. 63 overall pick.

Originally, Buffalo was slated to select at the 57th pick and opted to move back via a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, landing at the 60th slot.

From there, Buffalo traded back three more places with the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 63, where they eventually took Cook.

Cook’s name is a known one and not just because of its simplistic nature. Cook is the brother the Dalvin Cook, the Minnesota Vikings’ All-Pro running back.

Taking Cook is one we could have seen coming.

On April 5, Cook took to his social media account on Instagram and posted a photo of him visiting the Buffalo area, indicating a pre-draft visit with the team.

Cook, who lists at 5-foot-11 and 199 pounds, is a speedy back that also has a good set of hands. According to Pro Football Focus, Cook only had one drop on 68 career catchable passes thrown his way.

Cook did not see a ton of work during his career at University of Georgia so he’s not the most experienced player. Of his 230 total carries in his college career, 113 came just last season.

Still, that means there is plenty of tread on his tires as he heads to Buffalo. He won’t be a beaten up running back by any means.

Cook did make his carries count at least, as he averaged 6.5 yards per carry and scored 14 times. As a pass catcher, Cook caught 27 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns in 2021.

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Three prospects for Dolphins fans to keep their eye on in the third round

Here are some guys that Dolphins fans should keep an eye out for when their pick comes around.

The day has finally arrived, as, what’s the equivalent of Christmas morning to many football fans, the NFL draft kicks off Thursday night from Las Vegas, Nevada.

At the moment, prior to potential trades, all but eight teams are preparing for their first-round selection. However, the Miami Dolphins are one of three teams to not have a pick in the first two rounds. That’s because Dolphins general manager Chris Grier made a savvy trade to acquire wide receiver Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs last month.

Miami added the six-time Pro Bowler and sent both pick No. 29 and No. 50 to Kansas City. Miami also threw in a 2022 fourth-round pick as well as 2023 fourth-round and sixth-round picks to land Hill.

The last time Miami was without their two opening-round picks, was following the blockbuster Ricky Williams deal in 2002. So, while there’s a likely wait until the third round this year, Dolphins fans are wondering about the play from Grier. The choices are either to stay put at pick No. 102 or move around the board, something Grier has done in some form early in the process in the last three drafts.

Looking at inside linebackers, interior offensive linemen and running backs as main areas of need, Grier has selected very productive players in his Miami draft history since 2016. Sure, some may not be Dolphins currently, but, historically, Grier has had more hits than misses in terms of finding NFL-ready talent.

Dolphins fans have shown patience in many ways and the first 101 picks will be no different. The advice for today is simply a re-iteration of what Grier suggested to reporters last week – “watch Tyreek Hill highlights.”

It’s the first draft in which Miami doesn’t pick in the top-100, so in a group of prospects where there’s decent depth rather than top-end star power, there are gems waiting to be called by Grier and the Dolphins. These are some names in positions of need to keep an eye on as the draft moves towards Miami’s first pick.

Titans had top-30 visit with Georgia RB James Cook

The Titans are one of at least seven teams to have met with Georgia RB James Cook in a top-30 visit.

The Tennessee Titans are one of at least seven teams to bring in Georgia running back James Cook for a top-30 visit.

According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Titans, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens all met with Cook.

Cook’s ideal role at the next level is as a “change of pace and pass-catching back,” per The Draft Network.

Of course, the Titans have Derrick Henry at the top of the depth chart still, but they could use a third-down back like Cook after the Darrynton Evans experiment didn’t pan out, leading to his being waived this offseason.

The only other backs on Tennessee’s roster currently are Trenton Cannon, Dontrell Hilliard, and Jordan Wilkins.

Cook displayed impressive speed at the combine and was an excellent pass-catcher with Georgia, both out of the backfield and when split out. He needs some work as a blocker, but gives great effort in that area.

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Over four seasons at Georgia, the 5-foot-11, 199-pound back tallied 67 catches for 730 yards (10.9 yards per catch) and six touchdowns. He also added 230 carries for 1,503 yards (6.5 yards per) and 12 scores.

We aren’t against the Titans adding a back in the 2022 NFL draft, but not before they address much more pressing needs, like wide receiver, guard, tackle, and tight end. Cook could be an option late Day 2, early Day 3.

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Vikings 2022 NFL draft preview: Where does Minnesota stand at RB?

The need isn’t high for the Vikings at RB, but there’s still clearly a need.

The Minnesota Vikings will be galloping into the 2022 season with one of the best offensive backfields in the league. Things have been so good that the team hasn’t had to endure much change at the running back position.

But that might not be the case with certain contracts coming due at the end of the 2022 season.

The bottom line is the Vikings need to go into the 2022 NFL draft looking to get some fresh legs in the pipeline to ensure they can continue to have long-term success at running back.

There’s plenty of intriguing options at the position, including the younger brother of a player already on the roster. Here are where things stand right now for the Vikings at running back.

Report: Rams met with Georgia RB James Cook

The Rams are showing interest in Georgia RB James Cook, who’s a fun player to watch

It might be time to prepare yourself for the Los Angeles Rams to draft another running back this year – and not necessarily in the sixth or seventh round. According to Matt Lombardo, the Rams planned to meet with Georgia running back James Cook on Saturday ahead of the 2022 NFL draft.

Cook is Dalvin Cook’s brother and put together a successful career at Georgia, averaging 6.5 yards per carry and scoring 20 total touchdowns. His most productive season was in 2021 when he had 1,012 yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns.

He’s not going to be a workhorse back in the NFL, given his skill set and smaller stature. However, he’s still projected to go somewhere in the third round, which is when the Rams hold their first pick at No. 104 overall. Cook is elusive, a good receiver and has great speed in the open field, running a 4.42 in the 40-yard dash.

It’s hard to imagine the Rams taking another running back in the first three rounds after doing so in 2019 and 2020 with Darrell Henderson Jr. and Cam Akers, but Sean McVay loves a crowded backfield and nothing can be ruled out.

Denver Broncos pre-draft visit tracker

The list of prospects who have visited the Broncos ahead of the NFL draft includes OT Matt Waletzko, RB James Cook and OLB Nik Bonitto.
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Each offseason, NFL teams are allowed to host 30 non-local prospects at their facilities ahead of the NFL draft. We will be tracking the Denver Broncos’ top 30 visits on this page.

Broncos Pre-Draft Visits

1. RB Shermari Jones
2. RB James Cook
3. RB Isaih Pacheco
4. RB Zamir White
5. OT Tyler Smith
6. OT Abraham Lucus
7. OT Matt Waletzko
8. OT Braxton Jones
9. OL Cam Jurgens
10. OL Dylan Parham
11. OL Cole Strange
12. TE/FB Chigoziem Okonkwo
13. WR Tyquan Thornton
14. WR Jared Bernhardt
15. CB Cordale Flott
16. CB DaRon Bland
17. CB Ja’Quan McMillian
18. CB Martin Emerson
19. DB Nick Grant
20. DB Tariq Carpenter
21. OLB DeAngelo Malone
22. OLB Nik Bonitto

Non-Top 30 Visits

1. LB Chad Muma (local visit)
2. TE Cole Turner (virtual visit)
3. OL Thayer Munford (virtual visit)
4. OL Jamaree Salyer (virtual visit)
5. OLB Isaiah Thomas (virtual visit)
6. RB Hassan Haskins (virtual visit)
7. WR Mike Harley Jr. (Hula Bowl)
8. WR D’Eriq King (pro day)
9. K Cade York  (pro day)

The draft will be held in Las Vegas from April 28-30. The Broncos currently own nine selections, including a second-round pick and a pair of third-round picks.

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7-round NFL mock draft for the Denver Broncos

Our first seven-round NFL mock draft for the Broncos has the team going LB, OT, RB with their first three picks.

The 2022 NFL draft will be held next week, which means mock draft season is heating up! Here is Broncos Wire’s first attempt at mocking Denver’s plans for this year’s draft.

2022 NFL draft: Giants stock up, nab ‘Punt God’ in full 7-round mock

In the latest 7-round mock draft from Giants Wire, Big Blue addresses several key problems, add depth and land “The Punt God.”

The 2022 NFL draft is just over a week away and the New York Giants’ likely approach is becoming clearer by the day. But there are many variables that will factor into their picks, including a desire to add capitol for next year.

Giants Wire put themselves in the shoes of general manager Joe Schoen but without the option of trading. We made all nine picks using The Draft Network’s “mock draft machine.”

The settings were default: TDN’s predictive board, seven rounds and fast speed. We chose only for the Giants.

Here are the results of the Giants Wire mock 3.0: