Georgia football: James Cook is a highly valuable draft pick

Georgia football has two running backs that will have a chance to be drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, and surprisingly James Cook will be more valuable to a team than his counterpart Zamir White.

The Dawgs could see at most 15 drafted this year, but it seems more likely that 12 to 14 could. Cook is one of those, and this past season proves none of us truly know how high his ceiling is.

With him competing in the NFL Combine this week, Cook will better understand where he could get selected in April.

He needs to show off his speed and receiving skills because both are incredible. If he can have a strong performance this week, scouts will be reconsidering where they should try and draft him.

One of the most valuable 2022 NFL Draft prospects is Georgia football running back James Cook.

Georgia signed Cook in the 2018 class as a 4-star running back. According to 247Sports Composite rankings, he was the No. 41 overall, the No. 3 all-purpose back and the No. 8 player out of Florida.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the speedy running back, and for the Dawgs to land Dalvin Cook’s little brother was huge.

It’s crazy that four years have gone by since he signed with Dawgs and started this journey. Cook has had a crazy journey since getting to Athens, but he was a guy that made a massive sacrifice to come back for the 2021 season, and it is going to pay off for him in the draft.

Cook grew a lot as a running back this season, and \ see him begin to understand what kind of player he has the potential to be. There have been times that he got overshadowed, but in 2021, Cook reminded people who he was and why he is a valuable running back.

His vision is much improved, and being patient while blocks developed were two things that improved this past season tremendously. That 47-yard run in the national championship happened because he waited patiently and made his move at the right time.

Cook finished his career at Georgia with 1,503 yards, 14 touchdowns and averaged 6.5 yards a touch. He also had 67 catches for 730 yards and six scores. Cook does it all, and that is what makes him so valuable.

He gets better the more he plays, and while there are some things to work on, that doesn’t define his value as a player.

Where does James Cook land in the 2022 NFL Draft?

Teams will consider his versatility, and if a team is looking to grab a player who can do a lot, Cook will be one of the first off the board. Most mock drafts have him going in the third or fourth round, but with a good performance at the Combine, Cook could get taken in the second or third round.

He has what it takes to be an NFL running back, and because his stats didn’t show that in college, watching the last four games of Georgia’s season should. Cook put his heart out there, stayed patient, and did a great job toting the rock.

His stock will rise if he has a great performance, but it wouldn’t surprise me if a team like Miami, Chicago, Tampa Bay, or even Atlanta took a shot with him.

More teams should put him on their boards because whoever snags him in this draft will quickly understand what kind of value he brings. Not to mention, Cook will be better than his brother if given the chance, so there has to be one NFL team willing to give him a shot.