Maurice Jones-Drew believes Dalvin Cook is a top-10 running back

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is heading into a crucial season and the NFL Network analyst believes he has the talent to be a top running back.

This upcoming season will be a crucial one for Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook. After putting together a pair of hot stretches during his young NFL career, fans are still waiting for the Florida State product to put it all together and have a monster season.

With the Vikings also hitching their wagons to a more run-oriented offense, the time is now for Cook to put up or shut up.

As he heads into the 2019 season, he has at least has one notable supporter in Maurice Jones-Drew. The former Jacksonville Jaguars superstar turned NFL Network analyst recently ranked all of the current starting running backs in the league and Cook checked in at No. 10 thanks to the addition of Gary Kubiak and his overall talent.

"“Throughout the years, Kubiak has turned unheralded backs into 1,000-yard rushers, including former sixth-round pick (and Hall of Famer) Terrell Davis and Mike Anderson (in Denver), Steve Slaton and undrafted free agent Arian Foster (in Houston) and Ray Rice (in Baltimore).Cook is one of the more naturally talented backs Kubiak has worked with. Look for the third-year veteran to be maximized in this year’s offense — IF he can stay healthy.”"

It’s hard to argue with Jones-Drew’s assessment of Cook. During the first four games of his rookie season in 2017, Cook ran for 354 yards and two touchdowns before tearing his ACL.

While he spent much of the 2018 season rounding back into form, Cook was strong down the stretch and he had the type of game fans have been waiting for when he finished with 136 yards and two touchdowns during a demolition of the Miami Dolphins last December.

Of course, the caveat with Cook is his health. In his two seasons with Minnesota, he’s missed 17 games with knee and hamstring injuries. Plus, a lengthy injury history during his time at Florida State also raises concerns about his overall durability.

The Vikings went out and selected former Boise State running back Alexander Mattison in the third round of the NFL Draft this past April and if Cook doesn’t perform, his time in Minnesota could end much sooner than anticipated.

Regardless, with a new offensive scheme and weapons around him, Cook has the talent to have a big year and emerge as one of the top running backs in the NFL in 2019.