South Florida Native Dalvin Cook Selected 41st Overall By Minnesota
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PHILADELPHIA (CBSMiami) – Another kid from South Florida is getting a chance to make it big in the NFL.
Former Florida State running back Dalvin Cook was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 41st overall pick of the NFL Draft on Friday night.
The Vikings traded up to take Cook, giving the Cincinnati Bengals a 2nd Round pick (48th overall) and a 4th Round pick (128th overall) in exchange for the 41st pick.
Cook will get a chance to replace superstar Adrian Peterson, who signed a 2-year deal with the New Orleans Saints earlier this week.
Despite coming off a very productive collegiate career with the Seminoles, Cook's off-field concerns and ball control issues are likely what caused him to slip out of the first round.
He joins a crowded backfield in Minnesota that includes Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray.
Prior to breaking almost every major rushing record at Florida State, Cook played for Miami Central High School in South Florida along with former Miami Hurricanes back Joseph Yearby.
During his senior year in 2013, Cook solidified his status as one of the nation's best running backs.
He was selected as the Class 6A Player of the Year, rushing 177 times for 1,940 yards and 34 touchdowns while helping the Rockets to their second straight state title and third in four years.
The duo of Yearby and Cook truly set Miami Central's dynastic years into motion as they took over the spotlight from another big-time running back.
Devonta Freeman, who currently plays with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, helped lead the Rockets to a state title in 2010.
As for Cook, he played an instrumental role in Central appearing in four straight Class 6A state championship games.
Impressively, Miami Central kept the ball rolling even after Cook and Yearby graduated, appearing in six consecutive title games from 2010 to 2015 and winning four straight rings from 2012 to 2015.
Despite what some would call a tumultuous adolescence, Cook overcame outside circumstances and became one of the top running backs in the country during his senior year with the Seminoles.
The last time a Florida State running back was drafted this high was all the way back in 1997 when Warrick Dunn went 12th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
WQAM and South Florida High School Sports.com columnist J.T. Wilcox contributed to this report.
