Dalvin Cook

RB · Florida State
When evaluating the running back position, there are two main criteria that translate to the NFL: can you navigate and can you create? And Cook is above average in both areas. He has excellent patience to allow his blockers to do their job and then times his burst to maximize each run. If defenses give him a crease, he has the vision to find openings and athletic gifts to explode through them, making it look easy due to his feet, balance and spatial awareness. Cook is a dynamic rusher and receiver, but his inconsistency in pass protection and ball security need improved and NFL doctors will need to sign off on his shoulders before a team uses a high pick on him. A two-year starter, Cook is arguably the best running back Florida State has ever produced with the two best rushing seasons in school history the past two years, leaving the Seminoles atop most rushing records. The former "Mr. Football" in the state of Florida set a new school rushing record as a sophomore with 1,691 yards on 229 carries (7.9 average) and 19 touchdowns, earning First Team All-American and All-ACC honors. Cook broke his own single season rushing record as a junior with 1,765 yards on 288 carries and 19 touchdowns to again earn First Team All-American and All-ACC honors. He elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2017 NFL Draft. As long as the medical staff and front office are comfortable with his long-term durability, Cook should be the first running back drafted in the 2017 class, although his final grade isn't as high as Ezekiel Elliott's a year ago.