When the University of Georgia held their Pro Day on March 16, the New York Giants were well-represented. Among those in attendance was general manager Joe Schoen.
At the time, rumors had begun to swirl that the Giants had their eye on running back James Cook. They were intrigued by his skillset and wanted a closer look.
As it turns out, the Giants really liked what they saw.
Matt Lombardo of GMEN HQ reports that the Giants “love” Cook — from their scouts all the way of up to Schoen himself.
“The Giants love James Cook,” a league source tells FanSided.
Cook, 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, rushed for 728 yards and seven touchdowns, while averaging 6.4 yards per carry as a senior for the National Champion Bulldogs last season.
“The thing I like about him is he’s a solid change-of-pace guy,” an NFC Executive tells FanSided, on the condition of anonymity because he isn’t authorized to speak publicly on prospects. “He may not be a three-down back, but he runs hard and has a lot of talent.”
Although the Giants are open to trading Saquon Barkley, his market has not developed. If they can’t find a trade partner by late April and the early part of the 2022 NFL draft, he’s expected to remain in tow and start this coming season.
But that doesn’t mean the Giants won’t have to address the position. After releasing Devontae Booker earlier this year, there is most certainly a need to add depth. The team also needs to concern themselves with the future of the position as Barkley’s status beyond 2022 is very much up in the air.
Cook could quell some of those concerns for the Giants and even potentially play a significant role behind Barkley as a rookie. Early projections have him going anywhere from Round 3 to Round 5, so Schoen wouldn’t even need to burn any of his top draft capital in order to land him.
