Philadelphia Eagles: A 3-round mock draft to partake on 4/20

Bryan Cook may be the most fun player to watch in the entire 2022 NFL Draft.

A hard-hitting safety who began his career at Howard but closed it out at his hometown university, the University of Cincinnati, Cook is effectively deployed either from a two-high shell – the look Jonathan Gannon wants to run with the Philadelphia Eagles – or in the box but is able to impact the game either way with his reckless abandon and alpha dog mentality.

Seriously, when a ball is thrown even remotely in Cook’s vicinity, he effortlessly keys in on it and flies to the spot like an old-timey cannonball. His hits routinely turn would-be catches into incompletions and produce forced fumble potential on even the most basic of plays.

In a defense that wants its safeties to play a role in run support, Cook’s burst is ideally suited for the strong safety position, and he could remain a consistent contributor for years to come, whether paired up with a free safety like Anthony Harris or a do-it-all strong safety like Tyrann Mathieu, you know, since he’s still somehow available in free agency.

Like Travis Jones, Cook is an under-the-radar prospect who didn’t play a ton of games on national television, but he could be a similarly impactful performer for years to come and potentially even start as a rookie right out of the gates.