Philadelphia Eagles showing ‘heavy interest’ in Dalvin Cook
By Ryan Quigley
Could the Philadelphia Eagles have found their dream running back?
It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles are in need of a running back. Ryan Mathews won’t be coming back in 2017 and Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood aren’t capable of carrying the load.
Luckily for the Eagles, this is a great year to need a running back. The 2017 NFL Draft is stocked with talented backs such as Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook. While it’s unlikely the Eagles will get a shot at Fournette, McCaffrey and Cook are both very real possibilities.
Cook, however, seems to have really caught the Eagles’ attention. While recently speaking on 94WIP, he confirmed that sentiment.
"I visited with them, I worked out with them and everything’s been going smooth. They’ve been showing heavy interest in me and I loved the city when I went there, so everything’s good."
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Cook is arguably the best running back in this year’s draft. In three years at Florida State, he became the most prolific back in school history, rushing for 4,464 yards and 46 touchdowns (both career records) while averaging 6.5 yards per carry. He is an effective pass-catcher as well. In 2016, he caught 33 balls for 488 yards and a touchdown.
Unfortunately, Cook has some major red flags both on and off the football field. Not only did he fumble 13 times in his three-year collegiate career, but he also has some serious character issues. In 2015, he was suspended indefinitely after allegedly punching a woman outside a bar, but was reinstated by the team the following month after being found not guilty of battery charges.
With a clean record, Cook is a top-five pick in the draft. But with that not being the case, he could fall to the Eagles at No.14. If Philadelphia pulls the trigger, they’d be getting a rare football player with sky-high potential. But they’d also be getting a potential distraction.