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NFL Draft Player of the Week: Florida State's Dalvin Cook

Can you smell what Dalvin is Cookin?

Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

In another week where a bevy of college football players had standout performances, it is tough for any of them to stack up to Dalvin Cook's bounce-back destruction of South Florida. To start the season, Cook had not broken 100 yards rushing in any of his first three games and overall looked a bit slower. It was worrying because there were reports he had put on weight in the offseason to make his body more "NFL ready", but that weight gain would be all for naught if it diminished his signature explosive ability.

Against South Florida, Cook looked like his old self. He posted over 250 rushing yards and overall totaled nearly 330 yards of total offense, gaining more than 10 yards with every touch he got. That's right -- Dalvin Cook averaged a first down every time he touched the ball. On top of it all, he even scored two touchdowns.

Some might say that Cook is still a boom or bust player, but even removing his longest run of 75 yards, Cook gained nearly 200 rushing yards at over seven yards a carry. He was ridiculous last Saturday, and hopefully that is a sign of things to come. His ability to continue being explosive over the coming months will be incredibly important for his team's success and his own NFL Draft projection.

Other big performances...

  • Vince Biegel, LB, Wisconsin: Wisconsin dominated the Michigan State Spartans and a big reason why was a massive performance from Biegel rushing the passer. He was in the backfield all day wreaking havoc and disrupting the timing of the offense. On top of that, Biegel contributed as a good run defender. Biegel looked quick off the line all day and his motor played a big part of bullying tackles into giving up pressure. Biegel has been a huge part of the Badger's success this season, so he will be a name to watch for the rest of the year.
  • Solomon Thomas, DL, Stanford: Solomon Thomas is quickly becoming one of my favorite players in this NFL draft. The 6-3, 280 pound defender is a disruptive and versatile athlete. Against UCLA, he was incredibly difficult for the Bruins offensive line to deal with and was a constant factor in all facets on Saturday. The Stanford defense is very good as a whole, but Solomon Thomas is the guy keying a lot of the disruption that makes the unit so affective.
  • Myles Garrett, DL, TAMU: Who doesn't know who Myles Garrett is at this point? The potential first overall pick is probably the best player in the country and certainly the best defender. Against an Arkansas team famous for being strong up front, Garrett had another one of his signature games, causing problems all day including making a very impressive goal line stop. There is not much more to be said about Garrett other than he is as damn talented of a football player as one could be.
  • Chad Kelly, QB, Ole Miss: I have been critical of Chad Kelly, but his game against Georgia was incredibly impressive. Kelly has a tendency to come out hot while he is still on the team's script and then crumble later in games, but Kelly looked outstanding all day against what is a legitimately talented defense. Kelly was poised, accurate and made good decisions for the most part. His play where he broke pressure to hit his receiver in the back of the end zone was one of the more impressive quarterback plays I have seen this year. Kelly is an erratic player, but more games like that could prove him to be one of the better quarterbacks in this class.

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