Chiefs: Bryan Cook Be Cookin’ – By Laddie Morse

Chiefs: Bryan Cook Be Cookin’ – Laddie Morse

Of all the tape I watched on potential draft picks for the Kansas City Chiefs this year, my favorite was of Safety Bryan Cook. I heard one draft analyst compare him to Buddha Baker, but my comparable and first impression was of Ronnie Lott… which is saying a lot, no pun intended. The reason? Lott made so many big hits, and I could see Cook having similar results for K.C. Of course, I was imagining Arrowheaders going the full 142.2 when Cook makes one of his sensational hits. 

Cook was part of a great defense at Cincinnati this past season, and his lining up in the same backfield as CB Sauce Gardener (the 4th pick in the draft) may have dropped him in the prospect ranking polls because although the Chiefs selected him in the second round with the 62nd pick, he was listed as the 6th Safety taken in the draft behind: Kyle Hamilton, Dax Hill, Jaquan Brisker, Lewis Cine, and Jaylen Pitre.  All of those players are excellent, and that excellence extends to Cook. 

Although Cook didn’t run a 40 (which was partially due to a shoulder surgery he had in the early postseason), it’s easy to see why Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo would also love his ability to play many different positions.

TheDraftNetwork said of Cook:
“Aligning as a one-high safety, split zones, in the box, and from the slot, Cook’s versatility shined in 2021, and he was among the many tone-setters for an outstanding Bearcats’ defense.”

Cook played in 14 games in 2021, was in on 96 tackles, and had 5 TFLs, one 1 sack, 2 INTs, and 9 pass breakups (PBUs). 

BleacherReport says this about Bryan Cook:
“Bryan Cook is an athletic safety who has the ability to play at all three levels. He shows to play with a high football IQ, and he has awareness in both the run and pass game. He has a smooth pedal with the ability to flip his hips to turn and run with receivers downfield. When playing in the short-to-medium range, he does a very good job of getting his head around to locate and play the ball. When in man coverage, he shows quick feet to get out of his breaks, though with above-average bursts, he may need a couple of steps to get going. When playing the ball, he has good timing and ball skills to play through the reception point. When playing through the reception point, he has shown the ability to properly slip routes and make a play on the ball. Cook also shows the vision to see routes develop; along with the awareness and feel to play in underneath coverage. Although he has good speed, he can struggle at times when downfield. He tends to guess on deeper developing routes, leading to him getting turned around and out of position to play the ball.

While Cook may end up playing more of a box safety initially — where he should excel — even though he’s a rookie, he will still be a marked improvement over Daniel Sorensen, especially with coaching from Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt. 

All of the Chief’s draft picks have one thing in common: they are hard-nosed players, and Bryan Cook may have the hardest nose of them all. 

Why would I think Cook will be a box safety for K.C.? It’s as BleacherReport says:
“When playing the run, Cook shows the best part of his game. He’s a physical and active player against the run; he has shown the ability to play from deep, as well as in the box and close to the line of scrimmage. He has good quickness to beat blocks with speed, along with the physicality and strength to shock and disengage from ball carriers.”

One area in which I disagree with Bleacher Report related to Bryan Cook is that they project him as a backup, while I see him as a rotational starter. My Meaning? When the Chiefs put three Safeties on the field, he will be the first name called upon to join Justin Reid and Juan Thornhill.  

When I see conflicting observations between analysts like those of the draft network and the Bleacher Report, I have to dig into Cook’s tape more to see if I can determine perhaps a corrected view.  

TheDraftNetwork says of Cook:
“… his lack of anticipation skills didn’t present many opportunities to get the ball. “

Take a look at the following collection of Bryan Cook plays and decide for yourself if Cook is lacking in the “anticipation” department:
https://youtu.be/FGS9wqiHU-c

SI.com says Cook is a:
“Adamant player who can set a desired tone” … and I can’t wait to hear the way the raucous Arrowhead faithful respond to his well-timed hits. Those kinds of earth-shaking clobberings can be game-changing hits, and that momentum can help swing a result in the Chiefs’ favor, as much as any other play, outside of a long TD pass. 

Laddie Morse – ArrowheadOne