Now the leading rusher in the NFL with 725 yards, Vikings’ third-year running back Dalvin Cook is not just exceeding expectations with his talent, he’s electrifying the NFL.

When the Minnesota Vikings selected Florida State running back Dalvin Cook with the first pick of the 2017 college draft, fans thought they were getting a solid replacement for future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson, who was released after a decade with the team.

They had no idea that Cook would be the Vikings’ next superstar in their offensive backfield.

Sure, he had a nice career in Tallahassee, but he was certainly no blue-chipper like Peterson, who nearly won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman at Oklahoma.

In his Cook’s first game, at US Bank Stadium against the New Orleans Saints, he not saw his predecessor from across the field in a Saints’ uniform, he went out and broke his Viking franchise record for rushing yards by a rookie with 127.

Three games later, with Cook already making his mark with an offense that had tragically lost their QB Teddy Bridgewater to a freak injury, the rookie tailback also went down with a ACL tear against the Detroit Lions in Ford Field.

Two Years To Yesterday

On Sunday, Dalvin Cook returned to Ford Field and put on another display of burst, power, and tenacity from the backfield of the Minnesota Vikings. Although 2018 saw Cook shine at times, yet struggle with nagging injuries, a season later he looks better than the rookie version, a back with all that talent but with increased power and NFL savvy.

Carrying the ball 25 times for 142 yards, an extraordinary 5.8 yard per-carry average, he also scored two touchdowns on Sunday in a crucial and compelling divisional contest for his team.

Loaded Box

Although former New England Patriots defensive coordinator turned head Detroit Lions’ coach Matt Patricia clearly designed a defensive gameplan to load the box and stymie Cook, the 24 year-old running back banged heads, bounced runs, and jetted into Detroit’s second level all game long.

With an offensive laboring successfully to give Cook lanes to run, the zone-run scheme Minnesota had installed in the off-season showed true fruit, bullying the Lions’ offensive line at the point of attack consistently during the 42-30 Vikings’ victory.