The Vikings didn’t have a first-round pick in this year’s draft, but that didn’t stop them from making a move up the board in the second round to get running back Dalvin Cook.
They dealt the 48th and 128th picks to the Bengals to move up to No. 41 overall to select Cook, who found his way into more than a few first-round projections leading up to the draft. During an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio with Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn, Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman said he didn’t expect Cook to be available at that point and wanted to do everything he could to get him.
“So we wanted to be aggressive and we were able, trading up, to get him,” Spielman said. “I think, when you have a talented player as Dalvin Cook fall into the second round, screw the need. We’re going to go after best player available, because he was sticking out like a sore thumb on top of our board. So I wanted to go get the best player available, because eventually if you follow the best player available and you’re right, those guys can make a significant impact on your roster.”
Spielman acknowledged the off-field concerns about run-ins with law enforcement surrounding Cook, but said the team did “a lot of research” and felt comfortable about Cook’s fit after Spielman spent 45 minutes with Cook on Friday “rehashing everything that we’ve been through a hundred times.” If the bet pays off, the rookie may have a good chance to wind up as the lead back in Minnesota this season.