Dalvin James Cook (born August 10, 1995) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
for the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
, where he finished his career as the school's all-time leading rusher. Cook was drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the
2017 NFL Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
.
High school career
Born in
Opa-locka, Florida
Opa-locka is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,463, up from 15,219 in 2010. The city was developed by Glenn Curtiss. Developed based on a ''One Thousand and One Nights'' theme, Op ...
, Cook attended
Miami Central High School
Miami Central Senior High School is a secondary school located at 1781 NW 95th Street in West Little River, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.0.1%
80.7% of students were eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Miami Central has a large Hait ...
, the same as former Seminole running back
Devonta Freeman
Devonta Cornellius Freeman ( ; born March 15, 1992) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
High ...
. His brother is basketball player
Deandre Burnett. Cook did not join the football program until his sophomore year, figuring he had no chance to supplant senior running back Devonta Freeman, who led Central to a Class 6A state title in 2010. Cook played as a running back and
defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
under coach Telly Lockette. In his junior year, he shared carries with
Joseph Yearby, who is his best friend. On running downs, Yearby played wildcat quarterback and Cook lined up at running back. As a senior in 2013, Cook rushed for a county-best 1,940 yards and 34
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
on 177 carries (11.0 yards per rush) and intercepted three passes on defense. In Central's Class 6A regional final win against Palm Bay Heritage, Cook ran for 244 yards and three touchdowns as Yearby fractured his fibula in the first quarter of the game. From that point on, Cook led his team to the Class 6A state championship by rushing for 223 yards and four touchdowns in a 52–7 win over
Seffner Armwood, helping the Rockets win their third state championship in the past four seasons and become the first Dade team to advance to four consecutive state finals. For his season efforts, Cook was named
Mr. Florida Football by the ''Florida Dairy Farmers Association'', becoming the third recipient of the award since its inception (back in 1992) from Miami-Dade County, joining former Miami Northwestern quarterback
Jacory Harris
Jacory Sherrod Harris (born May 12, 1990) is a former Canadian football quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and a current firefighter in Miami for the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department.
Harris started ...
and former Miami Norland running back
Duke Johnson
Randy "Duke" Johnson Jr. (born September 23, 1993) is an American football running back for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round (77th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. ...
.
Cook finished his prep career with 4,267 rushing yards and 64 touchdowns, while leading Miami Central to a 52–5 record. His senior season accolades included ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' All-USA Football Team, 247Sports Second-team All-American and All-State Class 6A first-team. Following his senior season, Cook was invited to play at the
2014 Under Armour All-America Game, where he rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries for Team Nitro. Cook also participated in "The Opening", an all-star summer prospect camp held on the Nike Campus.
In
track & field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
, Cook was one of the state's top
sprinters. He recorded a personal-best time of 22.10 seconds in the
200-meter dash at the 2013 Sam Burley Invitational, where he placed 13th. At the 2013 FHSAA 3A Region 4, he ran the third leg on the Miami Central
4 × 100 m relay
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
and
4 × 400 m relay
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
squads, helping them win both events with times of 41.15 seconds and 3:17.58 minutes, respectively. In the preliminary rounds of the 2013 GMAC North Qualifier, he was clocked at 10.08 seconds (heavily
wind-aided) in the
100-meter dash
The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...
, but would later run a 10.92 to earn a fifth-place finish in the finals.
Regarded as a five-star recruit by
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
, Cook was ranked as the second best all-purpose back in his class. Before he signed with Florida State in January 2014, he had already taken the summer and night classes necessary to graduate high school early and enroll in the spring. Cook originally committed to
Clemson University
Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...
, then flipped to the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
under coach
Will Muschamp
William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player. He is the co- defensive coordinator and safeties coach at the University of Georgia. He served as head football coach at the University of Florida fr ...
in the spring of 2013. However, after Florida's 4–8 season that year, the 5-star running back began wavering on his pledge—privately. Despite officially visiting other schools, Cook claimed he was "100 percent" committed to the University of Florida in every interview. During the week of the Under Armour All-America Game, he did the Gator Chomp on social media and posed for a pictures with Florida commits after one of the practices. On January 1, 2014, Cook flipped to
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
.
College career
![Dalvin Cook 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Dalvin_Cook_2014.jpg)
Cook attended and played college football at Florida State from 2014 to 2016 under head coach
Jimbo Fisher
John James "Jimbo" Fisher Jr. (born October 9, 1965) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies Football, Texas A&M Aggies. Previously, Fisher was the head coach at Florida State Seminol ...
.
Cook split carries with
Karlos Williams
Karlos Jermell Williams Sr. (born May 4, 1993) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.
Early years
Williams attend ...
and Mario Pender as a true freshman in 2014. In his first game against
The Citadel
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a Public college, public United States senior military college, senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one ...
, he rushed 67 yards with one
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
. He rushed for 100 yards for the first time in his college career against
Syracuse, gaining 122 yards over 23 carries with a touchdown. Cook was named the MVP of the
2014 ACC Championship Game against
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
after earning a career-high 177 yards on 31 carries and one rushing touchdown. Overall, in the 2014 season, he finished with 1,008 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 22 receptions, and 203 receiving yards.
In July 2015, Cook was suspended after he was charged with battery following an incident outside a bar. The following month, he was found not guilty and reinstated by Florida State. He started the season off strong with 156 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown against
Texas State
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
. In the next game, against
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
, he had 266 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. On October 10, against the
Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes (known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes) are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic A ...
, he had 222 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 47 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown to help the Seminoles to a 5–0 record. During the team's tenth game, which was against
NC State
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...
, Cook broke
Warrick Dunn
Warrick De'Mon Dunn (born January 5, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 ...
's Florida State single-season rushing yards record of 1,242. In the
annual rivalry game against the
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
, he had 183 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Overall, he finished the 2015 season with 1,691 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns, 24 receptions, 244 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.
Cook started the 2016 season with 91 rushing yards and 101 receiving yards in a victory over
Ole Miss. On September 24, against
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
, he had 267 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 62 receiving yards. In the next game, against
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, he had 140 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with six receptions for 106 yards. On November 19, 2016, during the first quarter of the team's game against the
Syracuse Orange
The Syracuse Orange are the athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East Conference.
The school's mascot is ...
, Cook broke
Warrick Dunn
Warrick De'Mon Dunn (born January 5, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 ...
's career rushing record of 3,959 yards. Cook entered the game just 18 yards behind the record and finished with 225 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. He finished his career with 4,464 rushing yards. A few hours after winning the
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...
against
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, Cook announced he would forgo his senior season at Florida State in order to enter the
2017 NFL Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
.
Professional career
Cook received an invitation to the NFL combine and completed all of the required combine drills and positional drills. He participated at Florida State's Pro Day and ran the 40-yard dash, 20-yard dash, 10-yard dash, and positional drills. He was ranked the top running back in the draft by
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
and
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
, the second best running back by NFL media analyst
Bucky Brooks
William Eldridge "Bucky" Brooks Jr. (born January 22, 1971) is a sportswriter and former professional American football player. He played for five National Football League (NFL) teams in a five-year career, primarily as a kick returner.
Brooks ...
, and the third best running back by NFLDraftScout.com and NFL analyst
Mike Mayock.
Although he was considered to be one of the top running backs, off-the-field problems, prior arrests, character concerns, fumbling issues, and a history of shoulder injuries caused his stock to fall. NFL draft experts and analysts projected Cook to be selected in the first or second round of the draft.
The
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
selected Cook in the second round (41st overall) of the
2017 NFL Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
. The
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
traded the 41st overall pick to the Vikings for their second round draft selection (No. 48) and their fourth-round selection (No. 128). He was the third running back taken in the draft behind
Leonard Fournette
Leonard Joseph Fournette III (born January 18, 1995) is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers, and was drafted by the Jacksonville Ja ...
(fourth overall) and
Christian McCaffrey
Christian Jackson McCaffrey (born June 7, 1996) is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers eighth overa ...
(eighth overall).
2017 season
In his first NFL game against the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, Cook set the Vikings' rookie debut rushing record, previously held by
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...
by rushing for 127 yards on 22 carries. In Week 3, against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
, he had 27 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown to go along with five receptions for 72 yards. During Week 4 against the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
, Cook left the game with an apparent knee injury. The next day, it was revealed that Cook suffered a torn
ACL, and it prematurely ended his rookie season. He was officially placed on injured reserve on October 5, 2017. In four games in his rookie year, Cook finished with 354 rushing yards. On October 9, 2017, Cook underwent successful repair of the left ACL. Orthopaedic surgeon Dr.
James Andrews noted no further damage of the left knee with "100 percent" chance of return for the 2018 season.
2018 season
In the season opener, his first game back from injury, Cook had 95 scrimmage yards in the 24–16 victory over the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. Cook suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2 and, after playing through it in Week 4 with 10 carries, missed the Vikings' next four games. After 89 yards in his Week 9 return, he had only limited success in the next 3 weeks. In a Week 13 loss to the
Patriots, he had 84 rushing yards (32 on one play) and 8 receptions. In Week 15, Cook rushed for 136 yards and his only two rushing touchdowns in a 41–17 win over the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Cook finished the 2018 season with 615 rushing yards, gaining more than his backup
Latavius Murray
Latavius Rashard Murray (born January 18, 1990) is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCF and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round of th ...
despite having fewer carries, and two touchdowns. He also caught 40 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdowns.
2019 season
![Dalvin Cook](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Dalvin_Cook.png)
In the season-opener against the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
, Cook rushed 21 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings won 28–12. During Week 2 against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, Cook rushed for 154 yards, which included a 75-yard touchdown run as the Vikings lost 16–21. With that performance, he took the league lead in rushing yards, and was either first or second to
Christian McCaffrey
Christian Jackson McCaffrey (born June 7, 1996) is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers eighth overa ...
until Week 12. In Week 3 against the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
, Cook rushed 16 times for 110 yards and one touchdown and caught four passes for 33 yards as the Vikings won 34–14. During Week 5 against the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, Cook finished with 132 rushing yards along with 86 receiving yards, bringing it to 218 total yards as the Vikings won 28–10. During Week 7 against the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
, Cook finished with 142 rushing yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings won 42–30, recapturing the league lead in rushing from McCaffrey. In the next game against the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
, Cook rushed 23 times for 98 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for 73 yards in the 19–9 win. During Week 10 against the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
, Cook rushed 26 times for 97 yards and a touchdown and caught seven passes for 86 yards in the 28–24 road victory. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. However, Cook suffered a chest injury and would have only 117 rushing yards over the next four weeks (including a Week 12 bye), though he did have one touchdown in each of his three games of limited action over that time period. Cook was forced to miss the Vikings' Week 16 game against the Packers on ''
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...
'' due to his chest injury. Without Cook, the Vikings lost 23–10. In the 2019 season, Cook finished with 1,135 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns to go along with 53 receptions for 519 receiving yards in 14 games.
In the Wild Card Round against the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, Cook rushed 28 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 36 yards during the 26–20 overtime win.
In the Divisional Round against the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, Cook was ineffective, only rushing nine times for 18 yards as the Vikings lost 27–10. He was ranked 21st by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2020
The NFL Top 100 Players of 2020 is the tenth season in the NFL Top 100 series. It premiered on July 26, 2020 and the final episode aired on July 29, 2020. It started later than in previous years, and the show was shown in 4 consecutive days instea ...
.
2020 season
On June 8, 2020, Cook revealed his intent to forgo participation in team-related activities until a "reasonable extension" is agreed upon. On September 12, 2020, Cook signed a five-year, $63 million contract extension with the Vikings.
Cook scored his first two rushing touchdowns of the season in Week 1 of the 2020 season a 43–34 loss to the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. During Week 3 against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, Cook finished with a career-high 181 rushing yards and a touchdown as the Vikings lost 30–31. In the following game, he had 27 carries for 130 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 31–23 victory over the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
.
In Week 5 against the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
on ''Sunday Night Football'', Cook recorded 89 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown before leaving the game due to an adductor strain. Without Cook, the Vikings lost the game 27–26. During Week 8 against the Packers, Cook finished with 163 rushing yards, 63 receiving yards, and four total touchdowns as the Vikings won 28–22. He became the first Vikings player to score four times in a single game since
Ahmad Rashad
Ahmad Rashad (born Robert Earl Moore; November 19, 1949) is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. He was the fourth overall selection of the 1972 NFL Draft, taken by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was known as Bobby Moo ...
did so against the San Francisco 49ers on September 2, 1979.
On November 4, 2020, Cook was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 8. In Week 9, Cook rushed for a career-high 206 yards on 22 carries and had two rushing touchdowns in the 34–20 victory over the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. He became only the third player in Vikings franchise history to record 200 rushing yards in a single game, joining Adrian Peterson and Chuck Foreman.
Cook was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 9.
In Week 11 against the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
, Cook rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown and recorded 45 receiving yards during the 31–28 loss.
Cook was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for his performance in November.
In Week 13 against the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
, Cook recorded 120 rushing yards and 59 receiving yards during the 27–24 overtime win.
In Week 15 against the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
, Cook recorded 159 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown during the 33–27 loss.
Cook finished the 2020 season with a career-high 1,557 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, plus 361 receiving yards and one touchdown, despite missing a game with a groin injury, and the final game of the season due to the unexpected death of his father. He was named to the Pro Bowl. He was ranked 20th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021 is the eleventh season in the NFL Top 100 series. It premiered on August 15, 2021, and concluded on August 28, 2021. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named the number one player.
Episode list
The ...
.
2021 season
In Week 2, against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, Cook totaled 22 carries for 131 rushing yards in the 34–33 loss. In Week 6, against
Carolina, he had 29 carries for 140 yards and a touchdown. In Week 14, just 11 days after dislocating his shoulder, Cook totaled 205 rushing yards on 27 carries along with two rushing touchdowns as the Vikings won 28–36 over the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. Cook finished the 2021 season with 249 carries for 1,159 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns to go along with 34 receptions for 224 receiving yards. He earned a third consecutive Pro Bowl nomination.
At the conclusion of the 2021 season, Cook announced he would be wearing the number 4 jersey beginning with the
2022 NFL season
The 2022 NFL season is the 103rd season of the National Football League (NFL). The season began on September 8, 2022, with the defending Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams falling to Buffalo in the NFL Kickoff Game, and will end on Ja ...
. He was ranked 31st by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022 is the twelfth season in the NFL Top 100 series. It premiered on August 14, 2022 and concluded on August 28, 2022. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was the number one player for the fourth time.
Episode list
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NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
Legal issues
During his freshman year at FSU, Cook was involved in off-field incidents on three occasions. He was charged with criminal mischief after a June BB gun incident that resulted in broken car windows. In July, according to an ESPN report, Cook was named as an "associate" in an assault case of two men the Tallahassee police investigated for allegedly brandishing a firearm at a neighbor; the incident took place at Cook's apartment.
This comes after Cook was cited for maltreatment of three pit bulls puppies, ages of eight months and two months. The dogs were chained up with heavy chains and no shelter. The chains were heavy enough that the dogs were unable to move, and the two month old puppies were choking. When asked for identification,
Cook stated he did not have it, so the animal control officer on scene brought in a law enforcement officer to assist in identifying Cook.
The summer before his sophomore year, Cook was accused of punching a woman outside of a Tallahassee bar after a confrontation and was charged with assault, to which he pled not guilty. A jury found Cook not guilty, and he was able to return to the football team.
On November 9, 2021, Cook was accused of assault, battery, and false imprisonment to his former girlfriend causing a concussion in November 2020, an allegation which he denies.
He stated that "only the truth will come out", in response to those allegations.
Personal life
Cook is the older brother of Buffalo Bills running back
James Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
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References
External links
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TwitterMinnesota Vikings bioFlorida State Seminoles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Dalvin
1995 births
Living people
American football running backs
Florida State Seminoles football players
Minnesota Vikings players
Players of American football from Miami
Miami Central Senior High School alumni
All-American college football players
National Conference Pro Bowl players