It’s hard to imagine what the offense would look like in Buffalo without James Cook. Over the last three seasons with the Bills, Cook has totaled 4,746 yards from scrimmage and 38 touchdowns. That means he’s averaging nearly 1,600 yards from scrimmage and 13 scores.
You can make a really strong case that Cook has been the league’s most consistent running back since 2023, and his ability to win in several different ways makes him a perfect fit with Josh Allen.
But he wasn’t always viewed as a superstar running back. In fact, there were a lot of people who wondered if he could ever become a full-time starter in the NFL. Even in his own draft class, there were several other running backs ranked higher than him. However, Cook has officially cemented his status as the top back from his draft.
James Cook is the best RB from the 2022 NFL Draft
In a recent article by Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic, he re-ranked all of the positional groups from the 2022 NFL Draft, including the loaded running back position. Heading into that draft, Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker were widely considered the top running backs in the class. But it’s Cook who has been the best back from that draft so far.
Here is a snippet of what Baumgardner had to say about the former Georgia star and now Pro Bowl running back:
“No longer known just as Dalvin Cook’s little brother, James Cook scored a four-year, $48-million extension ahead of 2025 after posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and consistent production as a receiver. Cook paid Buffalo back with a career rushing year in 2025, leading the league with 1,621 yards en route to a third straight Pro Bowl.”
James Cook was 89th on the consensus board going into that draft, and according to draft media, he was the fourth-ranked running back in that class, even behind someone like Isaiah Spiller. Hall (37th) and Walker (43rd) were both ranked significantly higher than Cook, but both players have had outstanding careers and were each rewarded with big contracts this offseason.
But this goes to show how much Cook has exceeded expectations in the NFL after just four seasons. He’s one of the league’s most productive running backs and he has seemingly improved each year in Buffalo.
The Bills get a lot of (deserved) hate for some of their recent draft classes, but the selection of Cook in Round 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft is one of the better picks by Brandon Beane and company. He and Josh Allen have been the driving forces of one of the league’s best offenses, and that shouldn’t change in 2026.
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