The ranking of the Minnesota Vikings running back on a recent list is infuriating Packers fans.
In 2019, Dalvin Cook was finally able to show the rest of the league why the Minnesota Vikings selected him with their first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Cook appeared in 14 games for the Vikings last season and ended his year with 1,654 total yards and 13 touchdowns on 303 touches. Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott were the only NFC running backs to finish 2019 with more total yards than the Minnesota running back and Cook actually ended up averaging more yards per touch last season than Elliott.
Recently, 50 executives from around the NFL were asked by ESPN to rank who they believe the 10 best running backs will be during the upcoming season. Cook made the list at No. 6, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.
Minnesota Vikings rival fan base is fuming over the recent ESPN running back ranking
One player who is not included in the ranking that was released on Thursday is current Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones. As one can imagine, Jones not being regarded as a top 10 back did not sit well with anyone who has made the tough life decision to root for the Packers.
The fact that Cook was a part of the ranking and Jones wasn’t made Green Bay fans even more enraged and they took to Twitter on Thursday to let everyone know how much it hurt their feelings.
Aaron Jones had as many TD's last year as Dalvin Cook has in his entire career. Le'Veon Bell hasn't been good since 2018 and Mixon? Really? Put some respect on @Showtyme_33 name https://t.co/1iSt56fcNd
— Frankie Torres (@_FrankieTorres) July 9, 2020
Lmao. Aaron Jones had 23 TDs last year and Dalvin Cook has 18 in his career. https://t.co/va7OfueHoH
— Derek Kessinger (@DSuave_12) July 9, 2020
The argument seems to be based on the fact that Jones scored just as many touchdowns in 2019 (19) that Cook has accumulated during his entire NFL career. This is true, but trips to the end zone shouldn’t be the main point of emphasis when evaluating a player in the league.
If this was the case, then former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson probably wouldn’t have earned a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2012 when he only scored five touchdowns.
If the amount of touchdowns in a single season mattered as much as Green Bay fans are making it seem, then LeGarrette Blount should probably be getting measurements for his gold Pro Football Hall of Fame jacket after making 18 trips to the end zone as a member of the New England Patriots in 2016.
Packers fans can be mad about their running back not being a part of this recent ESPN ranking, but bring some stats to the table that actually are useful when it comes to evaluating an NFL player.