NFL Draft rumors: Dalvin Cook sliding
By Conor Myles
Florida State’s star running back Dalvin Cook may find himself waiting for his name to be called on draft night.
The rumor mill leading up to the NFL Draft is always intriguing. There’s always speculation to be made about draft prospects and things we may not expect.
Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz regarding one of the top running backs in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Lance Zierlein is reporting that Florida State’s Dalvin Cook may find himself falling all the way to the second round of the draft.
"“While Dalvin Cook is clearly a first-rounder based on talent alone, there are some teams who simply don’t believe he is worth a first-round investment,” Zierlein says. “Some teams seem to be basing their opinions on concerns surrounding durability and character, while we’re disappointed with his NFL Scouting Combine showing.”"
This report by Zierlein actually makes perfect sense and he couldn’t of described what he’s hearing in any better fashion. Zierlein made sure to note that Cook is clearly a first-round talent, which many would attest to, but if Cook’s patterns of draft visits shows anything it’s that teams may hope to land him in round two.
The Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals and the Philadelphia Eagles all brought in Cook for pre-draft visits and all have selections within the top-15 in round two.
It’s doubtful these teams are considering Cook with their first-round selections, but they’re doing necessary homework in case he does take a slide in the draft.
Zierlein also mentioned he’s hearing that LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey are the only running backs that will be selected in the first-round of the draft.
Next: 2017 NFL Mock Draft: Browns take Garrett with first pick
Could this just be a smokescreen? Of course, that’s what draft season is all about. But don’t be overly shocked if Cook does indeed fall, because many have made speculations about it.