Buffalo Bills select Georgia running back James Cook in 2022 NFL Draft

The Buffalo Bills are banking on Georgia product James Cook to come in and give their rushing game a boost. After playing a pivotal role throughout his time in Athens, the former Bulldogs running back will be expected to do the same in his NFL career. That’s why the Bills took him off the board in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday night, picking him No. 63 overall.

In his four seasons with the Bulldogs, Cook was a fixture in the Bulldogs backfield. Last season, Cook realized his dream of bringing a championship to Georgia, helping to end a drought that spanned over 40 years when the Bulldogs defeated Alabama in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Additionally, Cook made his impact on the memorable game, rushing for 77 yards on six carries, including a momentum-shifting 67-yard carry.

Most importantly to the Bills, Cook possess immense athletic gifts that allow him to be one of the more intriguing running back prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft. The ceiling for the former Georgia ball carrier is high, as he is savvy running the football between the tackles, to the outside and catching passes out of the backfield.

Additionally, the former Georgia star isn’t short on confidence, believing he can do it all out of the backfield.

“I’d make a good fit for all those teams because I’m versatile,” responded Cook when asked about why he’s a good fit for NFL teams, via NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. “I can play any position. I can lineup wide, I can lineup in the slot. Catch the football. run between the tackles.

“So, I mean, there’s so many variations to what I can do, that I think some people in the NFL can’t do.”

A former four-star recruit in the class of 2018, Cook was the No. 5 running back in the nation per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. The former Georgia star played his high school football at Northwestern in Miami, Florida. Additionally, Cook was the ninth-ranked recruit in Florida coming out of high school, and the No. 37 overall recruit in the nation, according to On3’s 2018 Consensus Top Football Recruits.

What NFL draft analysts are saying about James Cook

Furthermore, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com broke down what James Cook can bring to the NFL in his recent scout of the running back’s draft profile. The analyst compared the Georgia product to Darrynton Evans, the No. 93 overall selection of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans out of Appalachian State. In his career thus far, Evans has amassed 61 rushing yards, 38 receiving yards and one total touchdown in a small role. However, his role is expected to increase during the upcoming 2022 season with his new squad, the Chicago Bears.

“Change-of-pace runner with vision and flow but a lack of functional play strength,” wrote Zierlein. “The younger brother of Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, James has his brother’s one-cut talent and ability to stack cuts seamlessly through the second level. However, he is missing his big brother’s build, contact balance and toughness between the tackles, which will surely cap expectations and asks from an NFL club. His slashing style fits with outside zone and toss plays.

“He can also be used as a mismatch option as a pass-catcher. Cook has big-play ability but is unlikely to see his carry count get very high.”