The Facts: It's early, but the Vikings aren't being bashful. Cook is for real. "The first thing the veteran players I've talked to about him say is, 'This guy gets it.'" HC Mike Zimmer said of Cook. "He understands protections, he works hard, they see how he interacts in the locker room, and that's part of it. And then, when you have a special player -- like when we got [linebacker Anthony] Barr -- they say, 'Hey, man, this guy is different than other guys.' That's kinda how [Cook] is."

Diehards Line: Zimmer's comments are further evidence that Cook, on the roster for just three months, now looks poised to step into the massive void left by Adrian Peterson's departure. Is he ready for it? It’s an open question, and one plenty of NFL people would waver on given the reasons he was available on the second day of April’s draft. Concerns were widespread over a string of incidents early in Cook’s time at Florida State, as well as the crowd from his native Miami that he ran with. But when Spielman contacted Cook, the youngster said all the right things. The second thing was a simple promise: Cook would come to Minnesota alone. Spielman and Zimmer also knew that the structure Cook would have around him was rock solid. As MMQB's Albert Breer wrote, "It cost the Vikings a fourth-round pick to move up seven spots, from 48 to 41, to get Cook. If what the staff has seen early on sticks, that price will be more than reasonable."