They may be friends, but Jameis Winston believes that Dalvin Cook won’t be available when the Buccaneers go on the clock in the first round of the draft.
Can you believe we are just eight days away from the NFL draft? In just over one week, we will know who the potential Buccaneers stars of tomorrow are. Jason Licht and general managers around the NFL will be converging upon war rooms all over the country to make those final decisions and call in those names. It’s that time of year where we really begin to look ahead to the new season.
Jameis Winston is not shy about advocating for players he would like to play with. We know that he advocated for DeSean Jackson (per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. As noted by Joe Bucs Fan, he is also advocating for Adrian Peterson.
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Another admirable trait of our quarterback is that he takes care of his friends and/or former teammates. Prior to last season, Winston spoke highly of kicker Roberto Aguayo. Now, he is doing the same of another former teammate.
Dalvin Cook is a player that has piqued the interest of fans as well as the team itself. The Bucs need a back that can rip off a big run and make plays. Cook has the potential to fit that bill. Stronger still is the fact that the Bucs and Cook have interest in each other.
Winston and Cook are former teammates at Florida State, and Winston loves former teammates. As Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times writes, Winston went further than to just advocate for him:
"“I’m excited for Dalvin, following him in his draft process,” Winston said Monday as Bucs players report for the start of offseason conditioning. “Nineteen is our pick, and I honestly think he’s more of a top-15 guy. I’m excited for him.”"
Talk about praise.
Winston may be right. After all, there are multiple teams ahead of the Bucs that do need help at running back. If you look at the NFL.com mock draft page, one of the drafts on the front page has Cook off the board in the top ten. Winston’s instincts may be solid here.
But don’t count the Bucs out. The old expression “When there’s a will, there’s a way,” is important. The two parties are interested in each other. Whether it be luck or a trade, things like this have a tendency to work themselves out. There are never any guarantees with the NFL draft, but Cook in pewter is not out of the realm.
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How strongly do you guys feel about Dalvin Cook? Want him? Let me know…