The Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns may share a common interest in terms of evaluating prospects that are entering this year's NFL draft. Both clubs are said to be among the many teams showing interest in South Carolina tight end Jared Cook, who is shooting up the draft board after a stellar performance at the Scouting Combine in February.

The 6-foot-5, 246-pound Cook dazzled NFL scouts in Indianapolis after being clocked in the high 4.4's in the 40-yard dash by some scouts. He turned in the fastest 40-time among the tight ends and also topped the charts with a 41-inch vertical jump.

According to one AFC North scout, Cook is one of the most intriguing prospects out there and is projected as an early second round draft choice, but could easily creep into the bottom of the first round with a top-notch performance at the school's Pro Day March 25.

Cook was unable to participate in any of the agility drills in Indy due to a tweaked hamstring after running the 40, but is expected to do so at the school's workout.

The tight end enters the draft as an underclassman and is coming off a season where he put up some solid numbers for the Gamecocks.

Cook hauled in 37 passes for 573 yards and three touchdowns in head coach Steve Spurrier's 87th ranked pass offense. He finished second on the team in receptions behind wide receiver Kenny McKinley with 54.

It didn't take long for the coaching staff to realize what they had in Cook after moving him from wide receiver to tight end his sophomore season. No one tells the story of the player's ability better than former Gamecocks' special teams coordinator Ray Rychleski, who learned rather quickly the talent the player possessed after coaching him for only one season.

"Jared [Cook] has all the physical tools which were made obvious by his performance at the Combine," coach Rychleski said. "He's a guy who can run fast he's tall, with a great vertical jump and is a tough guy. He's what they're looking for in the NFL.

"Jared is an ex-wide receiver who got big enough to become a pass-catching tight end. He has all the ability to stretch the field with good hands and is a smart player. Jared also has all the intangibles off the field. He's a fine young man and a fine young player. The sky is the limit for Jared."

Coach Rychleski knows more than a little about the tight end position. Before coming to South Carolina in 2008, Rychleski spent seven years as the special teams coordinator and tight ends/H-backs coach at the University of Maryland where he coached prized pupil San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, who was the sixth overall selection in the 2006 draft.

Rychleski was hired by the Indianapolis Colts this offseason as the team's new Special Teams Coordinator.

When asked to compare the two tight ends coming out of college the coach didn't deny who was the better prospect.

"Jared is not quite like Vernon, but has some of the measurables that Vernon had," Rychleski said. "Aside from speed, where Vernon excelled was in the weight room. At 6-3, 245-pounds he could bench over 400-pounds. Vernon's God given skills are just a little better, but that's not to take anything away from Jared because that's elite company. But Jared is trying to measure up to Vernon and that's a good thing to strive for. I think Jared is well on his way to being the same type of player."

Rychleski went on to say that Cook was a privilege to coach because he was a guy who wanted to work hard everyday and didn't want to miss a practice.

"A lot of the things with Jared have to do with his parents,'' Rychleski said. "I think the parents just did a wonderful job raising the guy and he has a very good work ethic about him. He is the kind of player that you definitely want on your team."

There are those who believe that Cook may be the best pass-catching tight end coming out this year and that he is gaining some ground on top ranked tight end Brandon Pettigrew. However, Cook must work on becoming a better blocker at the next level and continue to develop his pass-catching skills.

Cincinnati, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta, Arizona, Buffalo and Detroit are just some of the teams who have expressed their interest.

Out of all the teams showing interest, the Detroit Lions may be the most intriguing at No. 20. The Lions are looking to upgrade their tight end position and Cook would be a perfect fit for Scott Linehan's offense. His ability to stretch the field at the tight end position is hard to come by and would complement receiver Calvin Johnson in the offense very well. It is not uncommon for a team to draft a player higher than others. It is based solely on the team's need at the position and the Lions have a major need for a pass-catching tight end.

Cook's draft stock is on the rise and the way things appear is that the Bengals and Browns may have to do some maneuvering if they are truly in the hunt.