2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: S Bryan Cook, Cincinnati

The Giants need some more depth at safety. Is Cincinnati's Bryan Cook be a potential solution?

Bryan Cook, S 

Height: 6’1”
Weight: 206 lbs.
Class: Senior
School: Cincinnati
Arm length: 31 ⅞”
Hand size: 8 ½”

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Underrecruited out of High School after earning Honorable Mention Associated Press All-Southwest District honors at Mount Healthy High School in Ohio. Cook attended Howard University for his first two years before transferring to Cincinnati for 2020 & 2021; he had to sit out most of 2019 due to transfer regulations. Cook had offseason shoulder surgery that prevented him from attending the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the Combine.

Notables

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At Howard, Cook recorded 93 tackles, five tackles for a loss, five interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 17 passes defended, and two forced fumbles. Cook had a great 2021 season where he recorded 78 tackles and 35 STOPs, with a catch percentage of 59%, two interceptions, and seven PBUs.

Cook displayed versatility with the Bearcats. He was entrusted to play MOFC single-high, nickel-overhang, and split-safety looks in a deep half. Cincinnati also aligned him in the box, allowing his physical presence to be felt in a more STAR type of role. Most of his plays were in single-high man coverage or MOFC cover-3.

Cook also played alongside the 2021 Jim Thorpe Award winner in Coby Bryant and the rarely targeted future top-10 selection Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. The Bearcats were one of the best teams in the nation. 

He was a first-team All-AAC selection in 2021. Cook accepted his invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl but couldn’t attend because of the offseason shoulder surgery; the same went for the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, but he did measure in at the event.

Strengths

Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

• Good size and thickness for a safety
• A solid overall athlete with solid burst coming downhill - a better linear athlete than a fluid one (which is more of a detriment)
• Solid overall closing speed on a linear plane
• Good overall in run support; reliable safety in terms of executing run fit
• Solid overall pursuit to track ball carriers down
• Good overall tackler
• Knows his run responsibility and fills with aggressiveness and power
• Good overall play strength
• Brings physical presence to a secondary
• Does a good job anticipating the backside dig and delivery punishing blows on receivers over the middle of the field
• Reads backside routes well and plays with solid overall awareness
• Good in intermediate and short zones
• Times his hits up excellently and rarely takes penalties
• Plays disruptive through the catch point and jars the ball lose with clean hits near the football
• Solid overall ball skills, but more of a disrupter
• Dislodged football in a boundary Cover-2 honey hole through against Tulsa; Q4, 4:06, 2nd&12)
• Very tough player who can set a desired tone
• Versatile player who can execute many roles (may not want him single high too often at the next level due to sub-optimal range)

Weaknesses/Can Improve

Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

• Some stiffness in his transitions
• Frustrating missed tackles when coming square in space (three times against TULANE)
• When square coming downhill, he could do a better job framing the tackle and driving his feet instead of leaving them; it only appeared to be an issue when the RB had space and Cook was forced to breakdown and stop his momentum
• Angles downhill can improve
• Solid overall athlete, but may lack the range/AA to consistently play single-high in the NFL
• Discipline on double-moves in the slot
• Notre Dame: Q4: 3:27
• Reactionary quickness is a step too slow when in space
• Notre Dame: Q3, 10:37
• Tulane: Q4, 3:39
• From off coverage w/ space
• Tulsa: Q4, 4:02 - 3rd& 17 for 20-yards
• Murray State: Q1, 4:24
• Only an adequate man coverage option; needs to restrict space more and play tighter
• Played with a packed secondary

Summary

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Overall, Bryan Cook is a physical tone-setting safety that plays with great toughness, solid overall spatial awareness in zone, and brings a good level of versatility to play the deep half, the nickel overhang, and in the box as a STAR. 

Cook is good in run support and functional as a safety; he’s not great in man coverage due to some tightness, and he’s a tick slow reacting to receiver’s route breaks, but he’s generally in a position to make plays on the football. 

He’s a solid mid-round safety asset who is better in run support than against the pass, albeit he’s functional in both.

GRADE: 6.22

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