Last year's rookie sensation Dalvin Cook is closing in on his journey to recovery. Earlier this week, the former Florida State running back received a clearance to join the drills of the Minnesota Vikings.
Bright things were in line for the 22-year-old Cook who immediately broke the rushing record of Viking great Adrian Peterson by rushing 127 yards. However, his rookie year was only limited to four games after it was revealed that he had an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
ESPN's Courtney Cronin reported on Wednesday that Cook joined the team's drills last Monday. It added that Cook is optimistic about his chances of returning to the field at the soonest possible time.
"I've been feeling good, but this week was another milestone in the rehab. This was a milestone for me just to get back out there and get some things done." Cook revealed.
The Miami Florida native played three years with the Seminoles where he averaged 6.5 yards per carry. Cook's best season came in his sophomore year in college where he averaged 7.4 yards per carry.
Cook was selected by the Vikings as the 41st overall pick in the 2017 National Football League Draft. During his stint with the Seminoles, Cook was a two-time first-team All ACC and an ACC champion in 2014.
Prior to joining the Vikings, Cook impressed draft scouts on the 2017 NFL Combine. He had a pre-draft statistics of 4.49 seconds per 40-yard dash and 2.65 seconds and 1.59 seconds per 10-yard and 20-yard dashes respectively.
Impressive Start To The Season
In his first four games with the Vikings, Cook completed 74 carries for 354 rushing yards, 90 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. He injured his ACL in their 14-7 defeat to the Detroit Red Wings last season.
Despite his absence, the Vikings were still able to hurdle the odds as it finished the National Football Conference North with a 13-3 (win-loss) card. The Vikings eventually lost to the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship round.
Nonetheless, it is expected that Cook will have to fight for his position in the rotation as soon as returns to the lineup. Besides Cook, the Vikings are loaded with a plethora of stars in the running back position.
Among those players include 2012 first-team All-C-USA member Latavius Murray, Mack Brown, C.J. Ham, Johnny Stanton, Mike Boone, and Roc Thomas. Nonetheless, there is no timetable yet as to when Cook will return to competitive action.
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