Report: Broncos had a pre-draft visit with Georgia running back, James Cook

According to Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline, the Denver Broncos are among the teams that have already or will have Georgia running back in for an official top-30 pre-draft visit.

Pauline states that Cook is a “do it all” type of back who is dangerous as an inside runner, explosive in the open field, and a very good pass catcher. This type of back would be a perfect complement to the physical nature of Javonte Williams.

NFL teams view Cook as a “do everything” back; he’s a terrific inside runner with the necessary speed to beat defenders into the open field or around the corner. Cook is also an exceptional pass catcher, and as the tape proves, he’s just as adept lining up as an outside receiver as he is catching the ball out of the backfield. With so much versatility as well as the ability to line up in a multitude of offensive schemes, you could imagine the interest in Cook league-wide.

Cook, the brother of Minnesota Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook is a 5’11”, 190 pound running back out of Georgia. At the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year, Cook ran a 40-time of 4.42 seconds, had a 33-inch vertical jump, and a 124-inch broad jump.

He played a total of four seasons at Georgia and is coming off a solid season for the Bulldogs. In his four seasons, Cook totaled 230 rushing attempts for 1,503 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also added 67 receptions for 730 yards and 6 touchdowns. This past season, Cook totaled 113 carries for 728 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also added 27 receptions for 284 yards and 4 touchdowns.

He figures to go sometime on day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft and potentially in the second round where the Broncos own the 64th overall selection.

Running back is a big need for the Broncos as they head into the 2022 NFL Draft. Sure, they have Javonte Williams entrenched as their starter, but the depth behind him is iffy at best. Melvin Gordon is a free agent and his 203 rushing attempts and 8 touchdowns have yet to be replaced. So, I think they’ll target a back sometime during the draft, but when, is the question.

General Manager George Paton has a history of taking backs early in the draft with the Broncos(extremely small sample size) but was also part of an organization that drafted backs early in Minnesota, including Cook’s older brother, Dalvin Cook. Also, Nathaniel Hackett’s offense in Green Bay used two backs consistently as well. So, the case can be made for another day two selection to be used on another running back. It is one of the bigger remaining needs on the roster and would give the Broncos a potential instant impact player on offense for quarterback Russell Wilson.