20 NFL bold predictions after the 2021 NFL Draft
By Randy Gurzi
10. Dalvin Cook will lead NFL in rushing yards
Last season, Derrick Henry was the running back who everyone was trying to keep pace with. The Tennessee Titans star finished with 2,027 yards on the ground which was 470 yards more than the 1,557 turned in by Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings.
For Cook, the crazy part is, he didn’t play in all 16 games as he had to sit out two contests. While he might not have topped Henry with the extra games, he was on pace for 1,779 yards on his own. And this was with the Vikings having some issues on the offensive line.
Those issues are going to be a thing of the past as they ended up with not only an improvement over left tackle Riley Reiff, but they also found a new starting guard. At left tackle, Minnesota will be turning to first-round pick Christian Darrisaw whereas Wyatt Davis should be taking over at guard — and he was an absolute steal in the third round.
Cook already was one of the most explosive backs in the game and he’s going to be even harder to deal with after Minnesota improved 40 percent of their line in the 2021 NFL Draft.