The Seattle Seahawks pride themselves on being able to run the ball effectively. With that in mind, what if the Seahawks had drafted Dalvin Cook in the 2017 NFL Draft?
Seattle's first selection of the draft in 2017 came with the 35th overall pick in the second round. After taking some time to decide who to take, the Seahawks chose to select Malik McDowell—a defensive tackle out of Michigan State.
At the time, Seattle believed they were getting a dynamic defensive lineman to bolster their defense. Instead, McDowell would never take a snap with the team due to off-the-field issues and injuries.
As a matter of fact, McDowell was sentenced to 11 months in jail in November following a series of crimes that he committed in Michigan. It's safe to say that Seattle would like to go back and take someone else with the 35th overall pick.
One player who could've been playing in the Northwest instead of McDowell is Cook. Just six picks after McDowell was taken by the Seahawks, the Minnesota Vikings were able to land Cook with the 41st overall pick.
Since his arrival in Minnesota, Cook has combined for 2,104 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. This year alone, the Florida State product has posted 1,654 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns (both are career-highs).
The only thing that has prevented Cook from becoming one of the best running backs in the NFL is injuries. Despite the injuries, he's been able to quickly turn into a focal point in the Vikings' offense.
In the same year that Cook was selected, the Seahawks were able to find Chris Carson in the seventh round. Of course, Carson has developed into Seattle's starting running back over the past couple of seasons.
As a seventh-round pick, Carson has been able to rush for over 1,000 yards in two consecutive seasons. An untimely hip injury will prevent him from finishing the 2019 season.
Additionally, the Seahawks also used their first-round choice in 2018 to add Rashaad Penny. Before the latter part of this year, Penny had struggled to get acclimated into the NFL.
Therefore, if Cook was taken by Seattle in 2017, neither Carson or Penny would likely be in Seattle right now. In light of that, there's no doubt that the Seahawks would be a better team with Cook alongside Russell Wilson.
Unlike Carson, Cook has shown that he can be a dangerous threat as a receiver. In addition, Cook is nearly a year younger than Carson and is further developed as a running back.
The Seahawks would undoubtedly love to reverse time and have a chance to fix their mistakes in the 2017 NFL Draft. One of the glaring decisions that they would likely make is taking Cook over McDowell in the second round.
Follow Us
Subscribe