Is Dalvin Cook the best running back in the NFL right now?

After Adrian Peterson carried the Minnesota Vikings on his back for a decade, the team now has a new running back to lead them to success in Dalvin Cook.

With over 1,600 total yards and 13 touchdowns, Cook had the best season of his young NFL career in 2019 and at 24-years-old, he’s probably just getting started (or you know… cooking).

With Christian McCaffrey recently getting rewarded with a lucrative contract extension from the Carolina Panthers, it got the guys from Bleeding Purple thinking about where Cook fits in the current landscape of the league’s top running backs.

Do the Minnesota Vikings currently have the NFL’s best running back in Dalvin Cook?

During a recent interview with the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson, Cook let it be known that he believes he is the top running back in the league right now. Why does he think this? Well, Cook believes he’s the best at his position due to his ability to do multiple things at a high level like rushing, catching the football, and pass blocking.

For anyone that has watched the Minnesota running back during his pro career, it’s hard to disagree with him. In a Vikings offense that also featured Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, and Kyle Rudolph, Cook was still able to get his hands on the ball over 300 times in 2019 as both a rusher and a receiver.

The case can be made for others being in the No. 1 slot, but there’s no doubt that Cook is at least one of the top running backs in the league right now. Every time he gets his hands on the ball, he has the ability to make a jaw-dropping play.

The current question for Cook is whether or not the Vikings will pay him the kind of money that is deserving for one of the best running backs in the NFL. An extension before the start of the upcoming season seems likely, Minnesota and their talented playmaker just have to figure out a deal that makes both sides happy.

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