Dalvin Cook is one of the best running backs in the NFL, but he is no longer the only member of his family to be playing at the sport's highest level.
Cook's brother, James Cook, was drafted by the Bills during the 2022 NFL offseason. Like his older brother, James was a second-round pick and is hoping to become a weapon for Buffalo in the same manner that Dalvin is for Minnesota.
The younger Cook feels that he is well-prepared to enter the NFL. That is thanks in part to his strong relationship with Dalvin, who has helped him prepare to make the leap from college football to the NFL.
"Having him as an older brother is a plus for me. Being in the NFL, he tells me all the tricks and trades to the game," James Cook said on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. "Him being a vet, just looking up to him as an older brother — it’s special."
The Cooks are the latest of the many brother-brother pairs in the NFL, joining Stefon and Trevon Diggs, Cameron and Connor Heyward and Jason and Travis Kelce, among others. There is also the trio of Watt brothers — Derek, T.J. and J.J. — who are stars at their respective positions.
The Cook brothers share the distinction of playing the same position. As such, it will be interesting to see how the battle between Dalvin and James shapes up during the latter's rookie season.
Here's what to know about the Cook family, including how many siblings the brothers have and how the two second-round running backs compare to one another.
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How many Cook brothers are there?
There are seven Cook siblings in total and four Cook brothers all together. Three of the brothers have gone on to become professional athletes with two playing in the NFL.
DeAndre Burnett
OK, so Burnett's last name technically isn't Cook, but he is one of Dalvin and James Cook's half-siblings. He also is the only one of the Cook brothers to become a professional basketball player.
Burnett, 28, stands at 6-3, 193 pounds and was a good guard during his college days. He played for Miami and Ole Miss from 2014-18 and averaged 12.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 0.7 steals per game while playing three seasons for the Hurricanes and Rebels. He was a solid 3-point shooter and made 36.9 percent of his 3-point attempts during his two seasons at Ole Miss.
He's heating up.
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) January 13, 2018
Deandre Burnett has been huge for @OleMissMBB. pic.twitter.com/r3hnQKhU41
While Burnett's teams never made it to the NCAA Tournament, he helped lead Ole Miss to an NIT quarterfinal appearance in 2017. He also scored 41 points in his third game with the Rebels in 2016 against Oral Roberts.
Burnett wasn't selected in the 2018 NBA Draft but played professionally in Europe. He spent time with the Leicester Riders of the British Basketball League during the 2018-19 season and with Kharkivski Sokoly of the Ukrainian Basketball Superleague the following year. He left Kharkivski Sokoly on Feb. 24, 2020 and hasn't signed a professional contract since.
Dalvin Cook
Dalvin is the second-oldest Cook brother at 27 years old, and he is the most successful one to date. He was a second-round pick by the Vikings in the 2017 NFL Draft and has since turned into one of the NFL's most dynamic runners.
Cook has posted at least 1,135 rushing yards in each of the last three seasons. For his career, he has averaged 309 carries, 1,463 yards and 12 touchdowns per 17 games played. He set career-high marks in scrimmage yards (1,918) and touchdowns (17) in 2020.
Dalvin Cook can't be stopped 😤 @brgridiron
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 10, 2021
13 CAR
144 YDS
2 TDS
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/BprN5Or253
Cook is a three-time Pro Bowler and his 4.7 yards per carry average is tied for the 20th-best in NFL history. He hasn't yet led the NFL in rushing yards, but he is a perennial threat to do so.
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James Cook
While Dalvin may be the current star Cook, he will have to compete for the title of "Best Cook" with his brother James.
James was a second-round pick by the Bills during the 2022 NFL Draft. Buffalo selected him 62nd overall and is planning to make him an important part of its running back rotation.
James Cook played second fiddle to Zamir White at Georgia, but he still produced 1,012 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior.
Cook was a dynamic pass-catcher for the national champion Bulldogs, recording four touchdowns on 27 catches and averaging 10.9 yards per reception. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry, too, and that helped him showcase that he is an NFL-ready talent. He will challenge for the Bills' third-down back role as a rookie and could take carries from Devin Singletary and Zack Moss as the season wears on.
Dalvin will be cheering on James as his little brother looks to make it at the NFL level. The elder Cook was understandably elated and celebrated like crazy when his brother was drafted by the Bills back in April.
Dalvin is looking forward to seeing what his brother can do at the NFL level. However, he is also looking forward to facing him when the Bills and Vikings play in Week 10.
"If he scores, I’m going to be happy in my head, but you ain’t going to see no emotion from me. I’m trying to win," Dalvin said of facing James in an interview on Vikings Circle. “When it all comes back to it, once we get home, once we get offseason or whatever it’s going to happen, we gotta answer the bell to each other and we gotta have them bragging rights when we get back home in the household. And, you know, Big Cook trying to have them bragging rights."
Demarcus Cook
Demarcus is the youngest of the four Cook brothers. The 18-year-old half-brother of Dalvin was shot in the chest during a drive-by shooting three years ago and was recently charged with murder after allegedly robbing and killing a man, per the Miami Herald. Demarcus was shot during the altercation, but his injuries were described as minor.
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James Cook vs. Dalvin Cook college stats, combine results
Naturally, since James and Dalvin Cook are both running backs, it makes sense that many would compare them. While they are related, they have different playing styles and, as such, were used differently during their college days.
While Dalvin was a true lead back at Florida State, James operated within a rotation at Georgia. He worked behind Zamir White as a junior and senior but spent time behind D'Andre Swift during his first two years as a Bulldog.
As such, Dalvin had a far more productive college career than his younger brother. That said, the younger Cook matched him in terms of career yards per carry, so they have similarly explosive playmaking ability.
| Stat | James Cook | Dalvin Cook |
| Games | 46 | 38 |
| Rushes | 230 | 687 |
| Rushing yards | 1,503 | 4,464 |
| Rush TDs | 14 | 46 |
| Yards per carry | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Receptions | 67 | 79 |
| Receiving yards | 730 | 935 |
| Receiving TDs | 6 | 2 |
In terms of measurables, the two Cooks stack up similarly. They are roughly the same size, but James is a bit taller and lighter than his brother. That makes him a bit faster and more explosive than the well-built Dalvin.
Here's how each player performed at the NFL Scouting Combine; James attended the event in 2022 while Dalvin was present at the 2017 iteration of the event.
| Stats | James Cook (2022) | Dalvin Cook (2017) |
| Height | 5-11 | 5-10 |
| Weight | 199 | 210 |
| 40 time | 4.42 | 4.49 |
| Bench press | — | 22 |
| Vertical | 33 | 30.5 |
| Broad | 124 | 116 |
| 3-cone | — | 7.27 |
| Shuttle | — | 4.53 |
It must be noted that the 40-yard dash time for the two came under some scrutiny, as James was initially timed as 0.01 seconds slower than his brother. His official time later came in at 4.42 seconds, but the NFL Network's Simulcam seemed to show that Dalvin was faster.
Dalvin Cook vs. James Cook 👀 pic.twitter.com/WkfV5vdebB
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 5, 2022
As such, it's hard to say which Cook is the quickest. Either way, both were plenty fast enough to become second-round picks with Dalvin being chosen 41st overall and James being selected with the 62nd pick in the draft.
Now, James will hope he can turn into a star-caliber NFL running back, just like his brother has done in Minnesota.
