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Dynasty Prospect Profile: Dalvin Cook

By Kevin English | Updated on Tue, 23 May 2023 . 1:27 PM EDT

Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State

Height: 5'10

Weight: 210

Age: 21.7

Combine results:

(percentile rank among all RBs at the Combine since 1999, courtesy of mockdraftable.com):

40-yard dash: 4.49 (70th)

Vertical: 30.5 inches

Broad: 116 inches (37th)

3-cone: 7.27 (7th)

20-yard shuttle: 4.53 (6th)

College career:

Cook parlayed a strong high school career into offers from Florida, Florida State, Texas, Arkansas and Miami (FL). We’d say things worked out just fine at FSU.

In 2014, Cook set a freshman school record for most rushing yards and TDs. As an encore, he became FSU’s single-season leader in rushing yards, only to break his own record in 2016. That year also included 8 games of 100+ yards (and 2 over 220).

A relatively clean prospect on the field, Cook still carries some baggage. He dealt with hamstring issues in 2015 and has 3 shoulder surgeries behind him: one in high school, one in 2014 and another in 2016.

Yet at the Combine, it didn’t hinder his ability to show out at the bench press. He tallied 22 reps of 225 pounds.

“Every team, I passed my medical exam,” Cook said in Indy. “My shoulders are stable, I’m ready to go.”

Finally, teams will find some behavioral issues in Cook’s past. He’s faced the following charges: robbery (2009), firing and possessing a weapon on school grounds (2010) and misdemeanor battery — against a female victim (2015). All charges were eventually dropped.

Speaking at the Combine, Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell provided one team’s approach to Cook.

“We [the Jags] haven’t necessarily red-flagged him,” Caldwell said. “We’re going to spend some time with him, so I’m anxious for that. We have several FSU connections. A lot of people speak very highly of him.”

Film study:

Courtesy of DraftBreakdown.com

Games watched - Louisville, North Carolina, Florida, Wake Forest, Clemson, Miami, Michigan, Boston College

Foot speed. Quickness. Lateral agility. That’s the meat of Cooks’ game, and it’s the theme of these first clips.

Clip #1 is particularly impressive. While Leonard Fournette uses raw power to break tackles, Cook largely does so with finesse. Pro Football Focus charted him with 97 forced missed tackles in 2016 — when he finished #1 in PFF’s elusive rating — and 68 in 2015 (5th in ER).

Here’s another display of Cook’s cutting ability. But he ends up putting the ball on the ground — something he did 14 times at FSU. With average sized hands (9¼”) it’s an area to monitor.

Cook largely underwhelmed at the Combine, but he did clock a 40-time under 4.5. He routinely showed speed to the edge on tape, as FSU frequently ran plays moving east to west. In the clips above, he rips off a pair of long runs vs. the eventual national champs.

Cook’s far from a bulldozer at 210 pounds, but he does a solid job running through contact. He’s well built from the top down.

Cook wasn’t overly impressive as a receiver or a route-runner. His massive 14.8 yards per catch from 2016 was boosted by a 59-yard grab on blown coverage vs. Miami (FL). And he suffered from a number of focus drops, one of which is shown above. It’s an area to clean up as he enters the pro ranks.

Fantasy potential:

Despite a poor Combine, Cook remains a likely top-25 draft pick. Why? He exits college with 1 of the most impressive 3-year stints from a RB in recent memory (5,399 total yards, 48 total TDs). While there's room for pass game improvement, his tape shows a 3-down back at the NFL level. He can run in any scheme and boasts the type of elusiveness that should translate to the next level. Consider Cook a top-5 overall pick in rookie drafts.