Dinner is served: Bills RB James Cook revels in NFL dream come true

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) – Making it to the NFL is tough to come by, even when your brother is already in the league. Yet James Cook made it happen.

According to a study done by the NCAA on the 2018-19 season, over one million high-school student athletes played football. 7.3% of those made it to the NCAA. Only 1.6% of college football players made it to the NFL.

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook was fortunate enough to beat those odds. He’s one of today’s stars, currently on a streak of three straight seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards.

But Dalvin Cook must not have used up all the talent in the family, because his brother James Cook also beat those odds, and is competing in the Buffalo Bills running back room.

So with those odds stacked on Cook, he’s making the most of his NFL opportunity.

“It was a dream come true. Just living out my dreams of becoming an NFL player and it was just fun,” said Cook.

Part of the reason the Bills drafted Cook is his willingness to help out in multiple areas of the game. One Bleacher Report draft analysis raved about the RB’s ability to haul in passes out of the backfield. And at 5-11, 190 pounds, Cook has the build to make an impact as a blocker.

“You got to embrace the protection piece of it, what you do when the ball’s not in your hand, whether it’s ID protections or whether it’s actually physically blocking. So but I know he’s up he’s up for the challenge,” said Bills head coach Sean McDermott.

As of now, the Bills haven’t said where James Cook will be on the regular-season opening depth chart or how big a part of the offense he’ll be from the start. But clearly that’s not stopping him from soaking up the moment.