Philadelphia Eagles nearly traded up for Dalvin Cook, per report

Dalvin Cook came close to being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, per report.

When the Minnesota Vikings selected Florida State running back Dalvin Cook with the No. 41 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, Philadelphia Eagles fans in attendance of the event simultaneously unleashed a thunderous round of boos at the selection. Cook, who the Eagles were particularly high on, was off the board just two picks ahead of Philadelphia.

Luckily, the Eagles were still able to draft a good player with their No. 43 overall selection—Washington cornerback Sidney Jones, who many considered the best corner in the draft prior to tearing his Achilles at his pro day in March. Though he may not play in 2017, Jones has the potential to become the franchise cornerback the Eagles have been sorely missing in recent years. But according to a report from Jeff McLand of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles came close to trading up and taking Cook, not Jones, in the second round.

"It was unclear where exactly the Eagles had tried to jump for Cook – who some draft analysts expected to go in the first round – and if they had decided the price was too steep. But they would have needed to hurdle at least three spots if they wanted to block the Vikings, who traded up seven slots for the productive tailback."

More from Inside the Iggles

• Eagles LB Nakobe Dean jokingly makes his pitch for an assistant GM role
• Eagles captains earn high praise on roster blending veteran leadership, youth
• How former Eagles star Cre’Von LeBlanc helped Renegades upstage Cowboys
• Eagles 2023 schedule: Every WR duo Darius Slay, James Bradberry will battle
• Imagining better names for Jason Kelce’s Good Guy Award

Cook would have been a dream selection for the Eagles. After rushing for 4,464 yards and 46 touchdowns during his three-year college career, Cook would have become the Eagles’ workhorse running back immediately. Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley was a big fan of Cook’s and allegedly wanted the team to draft him.

Unfortunately, that never ended up happening.

The Eagles eventually did end up drafting a running back, San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey, in the fifth round. But it does not appear he can be a featured back for Philadelphia.

Philadelphia may have missed out on one of the top running backs in this year’s draft, but there is no reason to be disappointed about the addition of Sidney Jones. If all goes according to plan, the Eagles will be getting a shutdown corner when he recovers from his injury, which is just as valuable as a running back like Cook.