4. Connor Cook – Michigan State
Let’s stay in the Big Ten for another guy who’s really going to divide the opinion of NFL scouts. Cook appears to have the ability to make every play you need your quarterback to make, but there are real questions about his personality heading to the next level.
First, the positives: He’s a guy who has the arm strength to make big time throws. He was also pretty productive against good competition in his college career. In fact, if his intangibles weren’t a question mark, he’d be a first rounder in my opinion.
Unfortunately for Cook, his relationship with his teammates is a big concern for NFL front office personnel. The fact that he wasn’t even voted a team captain at Michigan State will cause some executives to significantly drop him down their draft boards.
The decision whether or not to draft Cook might come down to what sort of locker room leadership a team already has in place. If there’s a strong group of leaders, particularly on offense, then the club may not need its quarterback to come in and immediately grab that role. This is the ideal situation for Cook to enter.
If he lands on a team that needs him to immediately assume a leadership role, then the franchise might be sorely disappointed. Those circumstances might end in a very short career for the promising signal caller.
I’m pretty optimistic that his personality issues have been overblown. Again, the NFL puts a premium on physical talent, something Cook certainly has plenty of. He’ll get drafted fairly high and I think he’ll ultimately develop into an above average starting quarterback.
Next: 3. Jared Goff