(610 Sports) – The Chiefs selected Cincinnati safety Bryan Cook with the No. 62 overall pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Friday evening.
Cook began his career at Howard University where he played from 2017-2018, before transferring to the Cincinnati Bearcats program. Following two seasons stuck playing behind a pair of standout safeties, Cook broke out in a major way in 2021 when he totaled 96 tackles (57 solo, 39 assisted), 5.0 of which came for a loss, one sack and two interceptions.
The former Bearcat joins a Chiefs' secondary that will have a lot of new faces. The team used a first-round pick to select Univ. of Washington CB Trent McDuffie and brought in former Texans' safety Eric Reid, but parted ways with standout safety Tyrann Mathuieu in the offseason. Kansas City also saw cornerbacks Charvarious Ward and Mike Hughes leave in free agency.
Cook could develop into a reliable starter, but 2021 was the first year of his career that he logged more than 220 snaps on the defensive side of the football and his feel for coverage is still a work in progress. Cook has the makings of a standout special teamer that offers versatility and developmental appeal at safety.
