The Vikings needed to make two important phone calls Friday before picking their new running back, Dalvin Cook, a speedy playmaker who at Florida State left in his wake Atlantic Coast Conference defenders on the football field and a few concerning incidents off of it.
There was one more conversation, lasting 45 minutes, General Manager Rick Spielman needed to have with Cook to feel comfortable bringing him to Minnesota.
And then there was the call he placed hours later to the Cincinnati Bengals, when he sensed Cook's slide would come to an end before the Vikings were on the clock.