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The Dalvin Cook to the Philadelphia Eagles hype is heating up with nearly 24 hours until the 2017 NFL Draft.
It started yesterday when it was revealed Eagles running back coach Duce Staley told Cook’s grandmother that he really wants the Florida State prospect in Philly. This nugget served to confirm what Cook had to say in his appearance on SportsRadio 94WIP earlier this month when he said the Eagles are showing “heavy interest” in him.
The Cook hype gained more traction when Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice kind of backtracked on his stance that the Eagles definitely weren’t going to take him (or Reuben Foster). In a chat on PhillyVoice, Kempski said “I don't think [Cook’s] likely, but it's my understanding that he's in play.”
Les Bowen added some more fuel to the fire on Wednesday with the following tweet. At least one NFL executive thinks Cook ends up on the Eagles.
#Eagles haven’t taken RB in first round since Keith Byars in 1986, but personnel guy from another team told me he thinks they take Cook, so?
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) April 26, 2017
All of this Cook hype is interesting in light of these nuggets from earlier in the month via @igglesnut on Twitter.
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Very interesting indeed.
If I had to guess, I still don’t think the Eagles end up taking Cook at No. 14. I wouldn’t hate if they did, but I maintain that’s it not realistic. But it certainly seems more possible now than previously thought.
In addition to the Cook hype, there’s been some buzz about the Eagles going offense in the first round. Again, I wouldn’t bet on that if I had to. I still defense (defensive end, specifically) is the likely pick at No. 14.
BUT ... I do think there is merit to the argument the Eagles could deviate from that expectation and pick a player who directly helps Carson Wentz. More than anyone else, Howie Roseman’s future is tied to the ginger passer. He needs Wentz to succeed in order to keep his job.
Maybe the Eagles don’t need to draft Cook in the first, though. Maybe Cook falls to the Eagles’ pick at No. 43. That would be surprising, but there’s been talk about it as a possibility. (Let’s be honest, everything has been talked about as a possibility at this point.) Tony Pauline says he believes it could happen.
We’ll see.