NFL Draft Rumors: Bucs will probably pass on Dalvin Cook in round two, too

One move that had part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a tizzy today was the Bucs’ passing on Florida State running back Dalvin Cook in the first round. That tizzy was pretty limited given the fact that they got a steal in O.J. Howard instead, though.

That tizzy will be nothing compared to what we’ll see if Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds turns out to be right, and the Bucs will pass on Dalvin Cook altogether in this draft. Assuming he even falls to them in the second round, that is.

According to Reynolds, the Bucs would have traded back rather than taking the back who fell out of the first round.

Would the Bucs have passed on Cook if Howard had been taken earlier, especially after Tennessee took cornerback Adoreé Jackson, whom Tampa Bay coveted, one spot ahead at No. 18? Yes, Licht was prepared to trade back and take another player and pass on Cook entirely.

Even more, Reynolds expects the Bucs to pass on Cook in the second round even if he falls to them at number 50. Apparently he thinks they’re that put off by Cook’s off-field rumblings.

Whether that is correct remains to be seen. But the Bucs do have plenty of other options they could go for at running back, including USF’s Marlon Mack, Toledo’s Kareem Hunt, Tennessee’s Alvin Kamara, and speedster Curtis Samuel.