Could Dalvin Cook Fall to Second Round of 2017 NFL Draft?

Dalvin Cook has been projected to be a first round pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft for the longest time – but one expert thinks he’ll be waiting until day two.

Ever since taking his final snaps for FSU football in their Orange Bowl win over Michigan and declaring for the NFL Draft the following day, Dalvin Cook has had his name associated with being picked on Thursday during the first round of the NFL Draft. Even though he has slipped in many mocks over the months, they all had him going in day one.

However, one NFL.com draft analyst seems to think that the former Seminoles star will be waiting until Friday before hearing his name called. Lance Zierlein posted late last week his column in which he relays information he reportedly gets from teams heading into the draft. His news on Cook is not something FSU football fans will want to hear:

"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. Some teams seem to be basing their opinions on concerns surrounding durability and character, while others were disappointed with his NFL Scouting Combine showing."

As far as the issue about his character, the truth is that Dalvin Cook will never be able to shake the charge of hitting a woman outside a Tallahassee club during the summer of 2015. Though he was later acquitted of the charge in court, it’s something that is going to hang over him  – especially as the NFL continues to deal with their problems surrounded domestic violence and sexual assault among players.

Florida State Seminoles Football

As for his durability, Cook missed one game during his sophomore season (and most of a second one) while dealing with a hamstring injury and has had several offseason shoulder surgeries over his career – but he was healthy all last season and ran for over 1,700 yards! The same thing is not being put on former LSU running back Leonard Fournette who played in just seven games last season.

Why is that? Because Fournette was the chosen one even before signing with the Tigers. It was a given that he would be going in the 2017 NFL Draft, with many thinking he would be the top overall pick after three great seasons in Baton Rouge. At the same time, Dalvin Cook – despite being a top recruit out of Miami Central High School – did not get the same national love.

If you went on pure talent – with Zierlein saying he thinks Cook is the most talented back – Dalvin would hear is name called early on Thursday. Unfortunately, other issues mean it may be late into the night before we can celebrate another Seminole going pro…and hopefully, we won’t be waiting overnight to hear it called on Friday.