I want to get straight to the point. It is my opinion that Florida State's Junior running back, Dalvin Cook, would be a great fit for the Philadelphia Eagles. With positional needs at Wide Receiver, Corner Back, and Running Back, the Eagles have a lot of talent to choose from within the first round - with either the 14th or 15th overall pick (barring a coin-flip tie breaker with the Indianapolis Colts).

After watching a lot of tape on Draft Breakdown - which shows every play from a particular player in a particular game - I have come to the conclusion that Dalvin Cook is the best running back fit for the Philadelphia Eagles. Joe Mixon is my second best fit, yet his draft stock and professional future have been called into question after a 2014 incident occurred in which he punched a woman in the face at a bar. That is a topic for later discussion, as I am simply grading on on field talent alone. However, no such controversy surrounds Cook, who is ranked among the top two running backs in the nation, often interchanged as the top back with Louisiana State's Leonard Fournette.

Let me make my case for Cook without necessarily declaring him as a must "draft". Rather, I want to simply state that if the first 13 or 14 picks play out in such a way in which prospects that interest the Eagles are off the board and Cook is available, he would become a spectacular addition to the Eagles offense, become an instant upgrade at the position, and evolve into a big cog in wheel of newly crowned franchise quarterback Carson Wentz' development and success (as well as the team's).

Some of you may be clamoring at this article already, exclaiming, "The Eagles can't afford to take a RB in the first round!" Or maybe, "There isn't a deep enough WR class to pass up on a WR early!" Well maybe I can begin to sway your opinion with this article and see some of the amazing things I have seen from this guy...

Physical Attributes

First thing's first, let's get a feel for the prospect. Cook is listed at a height of 5'11" by various websites such as ESPN, CBS, and the Florida State website. His listed weight fluctuates between 206 pounds and 214 pounds by those various websites. We won't know the official height/weight until the NFL Combine, but it's safe to say that he is around where he is listed due to low variability in his listings by multiple sources.

Either way, Cook is in the prototypical range of running backs who are considered to be versatile players as opposed to power backs. What you can notice from Cook right away (in the first picture in the article and the pictures below) is that he is built pretty well. He has a proportional build with a thick torso, thin waist, strong arms, and most notably to me, a very powerful lower body. I also think he has a frame to add 5-10 pounds more of muscle in a professional weight room.

Why does this matter? The Eagles have many small running backs on their roster. Concerns about Philly's "power game" is justified by the fact that with Ryan Mathews mostly likely gone in 2017, the Eagles backfield will lack a punch that many teams rely on for short yardage and goal line situations. Cook's powerful legs and hips would make him the leading back for those types of situations.

Experience and Stats

A three year letter winner and two year starter at Florida State, Cook has produced some monster numbers against some big time schools. Playing for a Power Five conference school, against SEC, ACC, and Big Ten defenses is the closest thing to playing in the pros for a college football player. Cook played for the 2014 NCAA National Championship Seminoles team as a freshman, proving that his has "big game" experience that some people like in their prospects. Although during his freshman campaign he saw limited playing time behind current Falcons' star RB Devonta Freeman, he still managed to put up over 1,000 yards on the ground. Here are his three year stats.

What jumps out to me about his stats is not just that he rushed for an average of 1,728 yards per season in his two years as a starter, but also that in those two years he averaged 6.75 yards per carry with a waining FSU offense, and wracked up 19 rushing TD's per year in that time as well. Also note, his 732 receiving yards in two years with a 12.5 yards per catch average proves his duel threat capabilities.

Breakdown of Cook's Game Film

The three basic categories two judge a running back are Running, Catching, and Blocking. Trust me when I say that Cook access at all three. Subcategories of those include Vision, Agility, Finesse, Power, Yards after Contact, Yards after Catch, Consistency, Big Play Ability, and Avoiding Costly Mistakes.

Before we begin, note that some things can't be shown in GIFS in this article. Those things include consistency and stamina. Note that Cook is in great physical shape. He doesn't like to come off the field, even after long runs and big hits. His speed and agility barely dampen as games go on, often playing just as hard and fast in the fourth quarter as he does in the first quarter. So without further ado, he we go:

GAMES SHOWN: Clemson, Florida, North Carolina, and Miami (Fl.) - all from 2016. Cook rushed for 169 yards and 4 TDs against the National Championship Clemson team and their top tier defense. He received for 106 yards against UNC as well, which is part of the reason why I chose those games.

Rushing:

What I like about the above play is the power that I was talking about earlier. Here, Cook takes the handoff with little room to maneuver, so he pushes ahead. He is contacted 3-4 yards past the line of scrimmage and pushes the pile of at least 4 Clemson defenders another 4-5 yards, making a 2nd and 6 turn into a 2nd and 2. You'll notice with Cook that despite his excellent vision and quick cut ability, he hits holes hard. He doesn't dance around two much in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage. He makes the cuts necessary to hit the hole and gain positive yardage.

What's so special about a 3 yard gain? This play displays Cook vision, agility, and intelligence. With his team backup up to almost their own goal line, Cook receives a pitch and is immediately cut off from the edge and surrounded by white jerseys. He makes his first move 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage, possibly thinks about switching fields, sees #56 bearing down on him, and cuts up field to turn nothing into something. Too many backs would dance around in panic, but Cook displays his one to two cut mentality before heading upfield, like I talked about above. Instead of negative yardage or 2nd and 10, Cook squares his shoulders and turns a broken play into a gain of 3 - smart play.

I count 3-4 quick cuts within the first 5 yards of the line, none of which slow his momentum down. Cook's ability to change directions quickly to follow his blockers and elude tacklers is a thing of beauty. There's no wasted motion in this run, and he makes a gain of 7 look really clean. Also notice that after contact he gains an extra yard or two due to his momentum and ability to keep his feet churning. That will be a reoccurring theme.

As you can see from the commentators yellow lines, the play was designed to go right. It breaks down and Cook hits a jump cut before quickly accelerating close to full speed in only a few steps. Awareness, Vision, Agility, and Power are all on display here. Big play ability can in fact come in the form of a six yard run. He runs through the safety and corner back and drives them 4-5 yards backwards after contact. Also note how he chose not to continue to bounce outside (left) as he approaches the corner to the left, which could've been an option. Cook is far from contact shy, lowering his level and churning his feet for the score.

Patience is a virtue. This whole play isn't exactly all Cook, but it isn't exactly good blocking either. Notice how he patiently waits to get #23 to commit to the inside hole that initially opens up, then cuts to the outside before absolutely bursting down the sideline. Another example of his vision for even seeing that opportunity. Speed is also on display. Burned.

Here's another cool angle of the same play. You can better see the subtle hesitation that causes #23 to try to jump the inside route, which gives Cook just enough time to beat him around the edge. He's quick, if you couldn't tell.

Want to see what a 70 yard touchdown run looks like? Here you go. I like this play not just because it shows off Cook's speed (which is definitely on display - look how he burns #23!) but again, his subtle patience. Notice how he doesn't approach full speed right when he gets the ball. He waits for his tight end to engage #10 on the block ensuring that he can get to the edge, before absolutely exploding down field. The change of gear is literally noticeable the second he gets around #10 and scores with the closest defender 10 yards behind him.

I chose to show this play because the original plan was for Dalvin to run behind his full back (#23), which broke down quickly, causing Cook to jump cut almost immediately after receiving the handoff, something that takes a great deal of concentration and vision to multi-task. Then, the art of subtly is displayed again, as a simple little hesitation and jab step fake causes #15 to commit and dive at Cook, taking the bait and being left in the dust. Of course, again, Cook's speed is probably the main cause for this TD, getting to the edge with ease.

This is a beautiful play against Florida. I squeezed two angles into one GIF because I think it takes a couple views to really appreciate it. Firstly, again, Cook's ability to jump cut only moments after receiving the handoff is extremely impressive. It shows his eyes are already down field and he's already reacting before he gets the ball. Secondly, the second cut is pretty standard, but the way he changes direction after the second jump cut to go from left to right to bounce it outside is crazy agility. Finally, you can't expect to take Cook down with arm tackles. He breaks two arm tackles and bursts downfield for a cool gain of over 25 without being tackled. Bonus points for refusing to go out of bounds easy. Not contact shy.

What's amazing about this play to me is that it was designed to go right, but #93 gets into the backfield almost untouched, forcing Cook to change fields, and casually shake #13 off - who had the edge sealed and had Cook dead to rights. After a quick shake and bake, Cook burns #13 and #26 to gain the first down and then some. His ability to make moves without any wasted motion, then immediately turn up field and show off his quickness and speed is what I like about this play. Even if he got tackled in the backfield, he would have only lost a few yards because he doesn't back track or fool around in the backfield like a lot of shifty backs tend to do when they're pressured behind the line (kind of like Lesean McCoy had a tendency to do).

This play is pretty textbook from Cook. Yes, he doesn't do a whole lot behind the line of scrimmage and isn't touched until he's downfield, but look a little closer and you'll see how he patiently waits for his Right Guard to pull left. Once the RG sets up the block, Cook is right behind him, puts his foot in the ground and hits the hole full speed ahead. The change of gears is noticeable and shows off his Acceleration and patience. If it wasn't for a shoe string tackle, he might have taken it to the house. I love how quickly he gets to his top speed - only takes 2-3 steps it seems.

What I notice about Cook - and what I think is really important - is how little negative plays he seems to have relative to how many times he's forced to make a move, or is contacted in the backfield. Again, 2nd and 8 is exponentially better than 2nd and 14, which is what is would've been if Cook wasn't so damn slippery. He managed to hit the B button on #33 (who had him dead to rights) then fluently shakes off the next guy and falls forward for a gain of 2 - one of the prettiest gains of two you'll see.

Cook is an Edge Warrior. He looked to go up the middle, but was forced to bounce it outside, where he completely burns two defenders - all the while with his eyes upfield, dying to get to the sticks. Also notice how he avoids the big hit at the end. I doubt he felt #26 coming, but the way he falls forward at the end forces #26 and #11 to take way more punishment than him.

If you're not good at recognizing reoccurring themes, I'll let you in on a little secret - Dalvin Cook is really good at getting around the edge and Dalvin Cook is really good at making people miss. Here, he makes two UNC defenders look particularly silly while picking up a big 20 yard rush on 3rd and 7.

U-turn alert: Cook is a master improvisation back. A UNC defender peaks his head out behind the line of scrimmage, and Cook makes a complete 180 with only two steps - one to go upfield - then, upon seeing another opening - one more step to turn right and head into the end zone. Brilliant instinct.

If I've said it once I've said it 1,000 times - Dalvin Cook is very good at avoiding negative yardage if he has anything to say about it. There's usually nothing special about a gain of 0 yards, but look how many White and Blue jerseys are around Cook immediately after he receives the handoff. What would become a 2nd and 15 for a lot of backs, Cook manages to bail his team out by slipping two defenders in the backfield and getting the ball back to the line. Plays like these really add up, that's why I keep emphasizing them.

I mentioned at the beginning of the article that the Eagles needed a back who can power through short yardage and goal line situations. Here is an example of Cook doing just that. Yes, it's true, the referees marked FSU half a yard short, but if you look closely (and I don't know how clear it is in GIF form but it's easier to see in the actual video) Cook does indeed cross the goal line. With a mosh pit of red and white jerseys crowding the line of scrimmage, Cook shows his fearlessness and desire to score by launching himself in the air AND continuing to churn his legs after he lands on a couple of bodies - extending his arm and the football across the goal line. If you look closely, you can see the white tape on his wrist (from the hand holding the ball) well across the goal line before he lands. It ended up being inconsequential because he ran it in untouched on the next play, but I love his tenacity here.

What's notable about this play - despite the fact that he snakes his way around the edge for a big time first down on 3rd and 4 with a quick one, two jump step - is that this play was his 30th touch of the game, receiving and rushing combined (not including blocking). He manages to burn the defenders around the edge, showing off his speed, despite the fact that he has carried the ball 29 previous times. This is the best I can do at showing off his endurance through displaying GIFS.

Hit him with that B button, Mr. Cook! With his team down by a touchdown, and with over 30 touches under his belt in this game, Dalvin Cook is not satisfied until he's in the end zone, spinning and powering his way through three defenders to tie the game up.

Receiving

A pretty standard catch and run here to start things, off. Cook catches the ball with his hands out in front, immediately tucks and ducks from a defender off a broken block, and picks up the first down with his speed.

A nifty play call here is made even better by Cook's acting skills. On 2nd and forever, Cook moves outside like his assignment is to pick up the block on the edge before turning inside to receive the sudo-screen for the long gain. If you notice, one of Cook's lead blockers (#72) gets picked off by the ref, and his assignment ends up slowing Cook down. But what I like about this play is how aggressive Cook is after the ball is in his hands, knocking the linebacker backwards at the end of the play to ensure the first down, and also, I like his convincing route running here and his ability to fluently catch and run.

Cook receives the ball 5 yards upfield, wide open, but turns the play into a 40 yard play by racing downfield, making a defender miss by cutting inside, and only being tackled after getting tripped up by his team mate who is blocked into him. What makes Cook so dangerous after the catch is his ability to tuck and run quickly, as well as his open field vision and speed.

What we see here is Cook's ability to slip out of the backfield and act as a receiver. He easily reels in the low ball while simultaneously keeping his wherewithal to make a move on the defender on his back and pick up the third and long. Notice how he finishes the play hard, keeping his feet churning against the Clemson linebacker to ensure he picks up the first down.

This is obviously a bad drop here. I chose to include this play because I love the route by Cook here. I love the mismatch that he can cause by matching up with linebackers in coverage and running routes downfield. Cook created a whole lot of separation here and probably would have picked up another chunk of yardage after the catch had he caught it. A rare uncontested drop for Cook can be chalked up to a concentration drop, as explained by the GIF below.

I'm not normally in the business of making excuses for players, but you can clearly see Cook turn his head downfield before the catch, looking to make a big play before he secured the ball. Classic concentration drop, not a legitimate worry with his catching ability. Many Eagles fans are probably sick of players dropping balls, but I don't want this play to cause skepticism on the kid's abilities. Even the best players have concentration drops. I'm sure Eagles fans would love to have Odell Beckham Junior on their team and see him make all kinds of spectacular catches, but I could make a GIF article about some of his drops too. Just enjoy the route on this play and hope he learns to look the ball in from there out.

Maybe this catch helps make up for the previous drop. Here, Cook runs a basic route for a running back, but bails out his quarterback here by stretching to make the catch from the high and outside ball without having to jump or break stride, while immediately stopping on a dime to avoid the tackler and turn upfield, gaining 7 yards and making it look easier than it really is.

This play is a good example of Cook's playmaking ability. He demands a lot of attention in the play action game, causing the defense to cheat in. You can see the linebackers bite on the fake, and although the safeties are off screen, you can bet they did too. Cook realizes how open he is, waving his arm calling for the ball at the top of your screen. Making a catch and quickly turning upfield is what makes Cook so dangerous in the passing game. He leaves almost no time for the secondary to recover once he brings the ball down due to his fluidity in catching the ball

Blocking

I really think blocking is one of Cook's strong suits. With the rotation of lineman that the Eagles have implemented in 2016, and with the likely continuation of multiple lineman in 2017, it is important that the Birds have a back that can protect Wentz. Sproles is limited in his blocking game due to his size, and Smallwood has struggled with picking up the pass rush dating back to college. Cook's ability to pick up a free lineman off the edge hear would be invaluable in the Eagles passing attack, and this block by Dalvin hear is textbook - stopping a much bigger DE in his tracks, giving his QB a chance to make the throw

What I like about this play is that it's an extremely heads up move from Cook. His assignment is originally A gap, but he notices the DT slide over to the other side of the line, and Cook is able to pick him up, cut block him, and not only stop him from rushing his QB, but also keeps him low enough to not be able to get his hands up in time.

Dalvin Cook may have literally saved his quarterbacks life on this play (only half kidding). I don't know what the FSU Center was doing here, but he slid left and let the A gap wide open for the linebacker to rush through. Cook alertly picked this up and made a block that stopped his QB from getting absolutely crushed. It's a shame the right guard missed his block too, because Francois may have had a chance to scramble and make a play following Cook's block, but instead he got swallowed up by #90 and 91.

On this play, Cook proves he's not just a pass blocker, but he can be a lead blocker on run plays too. Leading the way for his Fullback, Cook takes his assigned defender to the ground and leaves a hole for his team mate to run through, gaining a 20+ yard rush on the play. I like this play because with the rotational backfield that Pederson employs, and with Wentz' ability to scramble, run blocking will also be a very important role for Cook, should the Birds draft him.

Here's a good blitz pickup by Cook. He sees the DB come off the edge and takes an inside position to drive the defender along the perimeter of the pocket out of his quarterbacks way and line of sight while also taking away the inside move option. He makes this one look easy.

Here's another good example of a well executed run block, this time on a designed QB run. I could also see this type of play being used by the Eagles in the near future, and setting up in a typical formation with typical personnel like this is what makes this run effective. The defense doesn't know what to expect out of this formation, and a well executed block like this one from Cook could be an easy first down pickup from Wentz, like this one above (though I hope Wentz would slide).

Cook absolutely uproots UNC's linebacker on this play. I like his fearlessness and selflessness on this play. He sees a big body in his way and takes him off his feet. This is just about as sexy as a run block can be.

Summary

If I had to explain Dalvin Cook's play in only a few short sentences, a quick analysis, I would say the following:

Ideal size to be a versatile three down back in the NFL Fast, quick, great acceleration, and very good agility. Has crafty some very crafty runs. Physical, embraces contact, keeps his legs churning and fights for yards Triple Threat (rush, catch, block) Patient runner who knows when to attack the opportunity with pace or wait for hole to develop Can bounce the ball outside and hit the edge fast, but isn't afraid to go up the middle No-nonsense moves: likes being north/south runner but has east/west skill to make defenders miss Limits mistakes while possessing explosive play ability Efficient, instinctual, and smart player. Bottom Line.

Pro-Comparison

Cook reminds me of a very interesting mixture of Lesean McCoy and Ezekiel Elliot. He is built extremely similar to McCoy, both standing about 5'11" and 210 pounds. Cook has very good straight line speed, but also quick twitch change of direction ability and stop/start quickness like McCoy. Cook, like McCoy, is difficult to bring down in the backfield, but doesn't dance around nearly as much as Lesean. In fact, Cook has a much more aggressive play style, seemingly more willing to attack up the middle or push a pile back. Cook is a threat as a receiver like McCoy.

He reminds me of Zeke in the sense that he lowers his level and attacks defenders when he knows he is close to the sticks. He never goes down easy or runs out of bounds without making his presence known. Although smaller than Zeke, Cook plays bigger than his size. Much like Zeke, though, Cook is an excellent pass protector for a running back and has the aggressive mentality in the run blocking game to lead the way for his mobile quarterback. Although Zeke is probably more aggressive when it comes to running through tacklers, Cook possesses a relatively diverse set of moves to break tackles, including stutter steps, spins, jukes, and head fakes.

Finally, Cook has a natural sense and instinct for the game. He always pushes himself to pick up every yard he can without sacrificing the risk of losing yardage while in the backfield and/or while changing fields. Overall, he seems like an intelligent player who has a knack for big plays.

Bottom line

Calvin Cook is no doubt a first round prospect. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Cook go off the board in the top ten picks in 2017. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Cook taken before Fournette making him the first Running Back off the board.

Although I don't necessarily believe in pure Best Player Available mentality when drafting (as in if the BPA was a safety or QB or MLB - positions the Eagles don't need, there's no point in selecting that player) I do believe in selecting the best player available amongst the top positions of need. In my estimation, running back is in the Eagles top three needs, behind WR and CB, therefore it would fill a big need for the Birds.

Although I am a big fan of both receivers Mike Williams and Corey Davis (Williams more so than Davis), I wouldn't mind drafting Cook ahead of both of those guys. CB is probably the deepest position in this draft, and although WR isn't that deep in 2017, it's deeper than people think. Watch Cooper Kupp, Dede Westbrook, Zay Jones, Chris Godwin, and a few other under-the-radar type receivers go higher than you expect.

However much I would love a receiver, I think Cook is better at his position than the receivers are at theirs, if that makes sense. In other words, Cook in really, really good. If he's there at 14 or 15, I would be slightly disappointed if the Birds didn't grab him.

Yes, the running back class is deep this year, but there is actually a fairly big drop off in talent after Fournette and Cook in my opinion, therefore it's a bit of a "false equivalent" to me when I hear, "There's plenty of talent at RB later in the draft." Not the same to me. Cook is special.