2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Bryan Cook

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Bryan Cook, 6-1/206 Safety Cincinnati

Bryan Cook Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Instinctive

Good size

Has enough height to defend big receivers, tight ends

Weapon to cover pass-receiving tight ends

Quick

Covers ground on the back end

Can play some deep center field

Middle-of-the-field zone-coverage defender

Reads a quarterback’s eyes

Quick feet

Not tight; loose hips to turn and run

Has some ball skills

Showed interception potential

Plays the ball well to avoid penalties and smack passes away

Aggressive defender

Quickly fires to the flat or coming downhill

Can be a strong safety, eighth man in the box

Tough run defender

Size to tackle NFL running backs

Special teams-coverage potential

Weaknesses:

Eye discipline

Needs to improve defending double moves

Will bite on some fakes

More natural as a strong safety

Summary: It took some time for Cook to put it all together at Cincinnati, but it finally happened in 2021. In 2017 and 2018, Cook played at Howard University, recording five interceptions and 17 passes broken up during that span. Over 2020 and 2019 for Cincinnati, Cook recorded 28 tackles and two pass breakups. He was then an excellent contributor for the Bearcats in 2021, totaling 96 tackles, one sack, two interceptions and nine passes defended.

Cook has the potential to be an pass-coverage asset in the NFL. He has the speed, size, and ball skills to play some free safety while also being a natural fit for strong safety. As the deep center fielder, Cook can break on the ball well and is dangerous to pick it off or slap it away. He covers a lot of ground in the deep part of the field and has the size to battle big wideouts and tight ends. As a pro, Cook needs to improve his eye discipline and not bite on double moves. He can be prone to falling for some fakes through his natural aggression.

In 2021, Cook showed some man-coverage ability against pass-receiving tight ends who cause mismatch problems for most teams – see the Cincinnati/Notre Dame game. Cook does a nice job of running the route with tight ends to prevent separation and possesses the size and speed to maintain close coverage. After some development, Cook could man up on them in the NFL and should be an asset at neutralizing those kind of weapons.



Cook can be a tough defender against the run, helped by having the size to tackle, and he will make some clutch open-field stops. Cook is very strong and clearly spends a lot of time in the weight room. He is physical and packs a punch as a tackler. In run defense and pass coverage, Cook will dish out some rattling hits with force. Given Cook’s size and instincts, he could be a strong safety type who plays as the eighth man in the box to defend ground games.

For the NFL, Cook could present the flexibility to play strong or free safety. He has the versatility to be an interchangeable safety who flips responsibilities pre-snap. Teams love that kind of safety, but that being said, Cook is more natural as a strong safety.

In the 2022 NFL Draft, Cook is likely to be a second-day pick. He probably won’t slip out of the third round.



Player Comparison: Marcus Maye. Cook and Maye are very similar. Both are good free safeties who cover a lot of ground in the back end and are physical in run defense. They are instinctive defenders with versatility. After being drafted by the Jets, Maye has gone on to become one of the better safeties in the NFL. Maye (6-0, 210) and Cook are nearly identical in size and in their skill sets.

2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Adam Anderson, OLB, Georgia Calvin Austin, WR, Memphis Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri Amaré Barno, OLB, Virginia Tech Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson David Bell, WR, Purdue Nik Bonitto, OLB, Oklahoma Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas Zachary Carter, DE, Florida Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin Lewis Cine, S, Georgia Damone Clark, LB, LSU Micheal Clemons, DE, Texas A&M Bryan Cook, S, Cincinnati James Cook, RB, Georgia Yusuf Corker, S, Kentucky Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State Nick Cross, S, Maryland Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida Ikem Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota Luke Fortner, C, Kentucky Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, CB, Cincinnati Luke Goedeke, G, Central Michigan Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State Logan Hall, DE, Houston Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame Christian Harris, LB, Alabama Daxton Hill, S, Michigan Chasen Hines, G, LSU Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan Ed Ingram, G, LSU Drake Jackson, DE, USC Jermaine Johnson, DE, Florida State Zion Johnson, G, Boston College Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois Cam Jurgens, C, Nebraska George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue Darian Kinnard, OT, Kentucky Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State DeMarvin Leal, DT, Texas A&M Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah Drake London, WR, USC Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State Boye Mafe, DE, Minnesota Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington Verone McKinley, S, Oregon John Metchie, WR, Alabama Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming David Ojabo, DE, Michigan Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State Cade Otton, TE, Washington Evan Neal, OT, Alabama Josh Paschal, DE, Kentucky Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa Nick Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State George Pickens, WR, Georgia Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas Brian Robinson, RB, Alabama Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State Jamaree Salyer, G, Georgia Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M Derek Stingley, CB, LSU Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor Kenneth Walker, RB, Michigan State Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State Quay Walker, LB, Georgia Travon Walker, DE, Georgia Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State Zamir White, RB, Georgia Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama Malik Willis, QB, Liberty Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M

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