Due to trading for Sam Bradford in 2016, the Minnesota Vikings entered the 2017 NFL Draft with no first-round pick. Instead, the Vikings first opportunity to select a player would come in the second round.
As Minnesota’s turn to make a pick during the draft’s second day was approaching, the team saw that a very talented player was still on the board at position they needed to improve. Despite scoring 48 touchdowns in just three seasons at Florida State, no team had yet to take a chance on running back Dalvin Cook during the first 40 selections of the draft.