Getty James Cook is a Georgia product and the younger brother of Vikings RB Dalvin Cook.
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our years after the New York Giants made Saquon Barkley the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, it sounds like the team is catching feelings for another running back.
That running back is James Cook, a Georgia product and the younger brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook. The Giants hosted Cook for a pre-draft visit, according to Art Stapleton on Twitter, and have an additional Zoom meeting scheduled with him this weekend.
Georgia RB James Cook has been making “30” rounds, having visited teams such as Giants + Bills with others on tap with Patriots + Broncos, per sources.
He’s on a “30” with Browns today.
Interaction doesn’t stop post-visit: I’m told Cook has Zoom scheduled w/ Giants this weekend
Cook, who helped power the Bulldogs to a National Championship last season, is considered one of the top running backs in this year’s draft. As mentioned in Stapleton’s tweet, other NFL teams with interest in Cook include the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns.
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But with the 2022 NFL Draft less than two weeks away, some of the Giants’ plans are coming into focus. And in a follow-up tweet, Stapleton made it clear that New York would be willing to spend a Day 2 pick (Round 2 or 3) on a running back they like.
As has been noted previously, Giants are clearly doing their homework on RBs in this draft. At this point, it’d be a surprise if they did not draft one by the end of Day 2, maybe extending to early part of Day 3.
And Cook is right there in the mix, and not just for NYG.
In all likelihood, the Giants will not spend one of their two top-10 picks on a running back. They’re currently slated to make three picks on Day 2: the 36th overall pick (2nd round), the 67th overall pick (3rd round) and 81st overall pick (3rd round). If the Giants really are targeting Cook, those are the picks to watch.
Giants Reportedly in ‘Love’ With Cook After the Combine
New York’s interest in Cook is not entirely new. After the Combine in March, Matt Lombardo of Fansided’s GMenHQ reported that the Giants “love” Cook.
Cook did put up some pretty decent numbers in Indianapolis. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds, while also registering a 33-inch vertical jump and 124-inch broad jump. He did not participate in the bench press or any agility drills.
But if the Giants really did fall in love with him at the Combine, that likely occurred during private interviews with him and not while watching him work out. The fact that they’ve shown continued interest in him up to this point only supports that notion.
In four seasons at Georgia, Cook rushed for 1,503 yards (6.5 YPC) and 14 touchdowns while also catching 67 passes for 730 yards six touchdowns. He was never a bell-cow running back in college, but he set career highs for rushing attempts (113), rushing yards (728), rushing touchdowns (7), receptions (27), receiving yards (284) and receiving touchdowns (4) in 2021.
How Does James Cook Compare to His Brother Dalvin?
Dalvin Cook was a second-round pick out of Florida State in 2017, and he’s since become a star for the Vikings. Although he has dealt with injuries and missed multiple games every season he’s been in the league, Dalvin has still managed to establish himself as one of the NFL’s finest running backs.
Dalvin has rushed for over 1,000 yards and made the Pro Bowl each of the past three seasons. He’s also an effective pass catcher with 30-plus receptions in four straight seasons. His nose for the end zone is strong, too, as evidenced by his 42 total touchdowns in 56 career games played.
The biggest difference between James and his brother Dalvin is size. James (5-11, 190 lbs.) is an inch taller than Dalvin (5-10, 210 lbs.), but he’s 20 pounds lighter. Draft analyst Lance Zierlein went into a little more detail on the comparison in his evaluation.
“James has his brother’s one-cut talent and ability to stack cuts seamlessly through the second level,” Zierlein wrote for NFL.com. “However, he is missing his big brother’s build, contact balance and toughness between the tackles, which will surely cap expectations and asks from an NFL club.”
If the Giants do draft James Cook, they may not be getting another Pro Bowler like his brother Dalvin. But it would certainly make things interesting in New York’s backfield, with Barkley’s future still uncertain.
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New York Giants Keep Meeting With Brother of Pro Bowl RB