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http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2016/in...gan-state-qb-connor-cook-go-round-1-nfl-draft
1. Cook should be a first-round pick in this draft
I've got five quarterbacks in my top 35 players in this draft, and Cook is one of them. That does not mean all five of these guys are going to pan out, but there are some QBs who have a lot to work with if they can get into the right situations. That is always a challenge with the way NFL teams change head coaches, coordinators and systems so frequently. Development has become an afterthought. But when I look at the throws Cook has made against the competition he has faced, I see a player with the talent to be the top quarterback in this class. This is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback with a 34-5 record and rare arm talent. He is coming from an offense that required him to make difficult throws.
2. No QB in this draft makes more "wow" throws
Michigan State's vertical pass offense is what stands out when you watch Cook play. He is not throwing a bunch of bubble screens and quick screens. They are pushing the ball down the field. Cook is making tight-window throws -- with anticipation -- down the field while under duress. Al Davis, my old boss in Oakland, would have loved that about Connor Cook. Of all the quarterbacks in this draft, Cook is the one who is going to make coaches say "wow" when they're sitting alone in their offices early in the morning watching tape. It's not just that he makes more difficult attempts than most guys I've seen in the last few years, it's that he completes them when playing against top-level competition.
3. There is no avoiding the captaincy issue
Kirk Cousins was a three-time captain at Michigan State. Cook succeeded Cousins as the starter and was never a captain in East Lansing. Everyone wants to know why that was the case. Is Cook lacking in the leadership department? The subject was a big focus of the QB Camp show.
Jack Conklin might be my favorite player in this draft. He is a great senior left tackle, tough and physical with a mean streak. Conklin also was not a captain at Michigan State. On the field, with the Big Ten title in the balance, Cook converted a fourth-and-2 on a speed option run despite having a bad shoulder. It was a gutsy play in a big moment. He has beaten top-10 teams five times and he has gotten it done at Michigan State. Those are a couple points in Cook's favor as teams do their due diligence on him.
Cook's mental toughness is one of his strengths. He came off the bench to win a bowl game against TCU in 2013. He came off the bench against Notre Dame. He overcame a 20-point deficit against Baylor to win a bowl game. Big moments have brought out the best in him. He has shown resiliency throughout his career and that is encouraging for his future.
4. Cook's aggressive mindset is a blessing and a curse
I could put together a highlight tape and say Cook is the No. 1 quarterback. I can also show clips of a gunslinger who is not obeying the law. That is his biggest weakness by far. You have to give your receivers a chance, but you also have to be realistic and logical. Cook can make any throw, but he does not have to make every throw all the time. Some of the home-run shot plays need to be check-downs. These plays are always open down the field in practice, but as soon as you call them in the games, you get Cover 2, the safeties are deep and if you throw it down the field, you get intercepted. Cook needs to avoid overly aggressive interceptions by taking the safer option. As I told him, if you are not going to use the running back, we might as well play with only four eligible receivers.
5. Cook must improve in the screen game
I think 16 of the 22 interceptions Cook threw in 40 games were preventable, and some of those were on screens. If you are a great drop-back quarterback, you have to have a great screen game. Cook struggled on multiple screens at Michigan State. I really got on him about it when we met. He needs to learn to ground the ball when the screening back is not available to him. There is just no excuse for bad things to happen in the screen game. The quarterback knows the pressure is coming. He knows where his receiver is going to be. Screens must be a weapon for the offense. Too frequently they were a weapon the defense used against Cook at Michigan State. He needs to see the screening back's eyes before he releases the ball. There can be no throwing it blindly.
1. Cook should be a first-round pick in this draft
I've got five quarterbacks in my top 35 players in this draft, and Cook is one of them. That does not mean all five of these guys are going to pan out, but there are some QBs who have a lot to work with if they can get into the right situations. That is always a challenge with the way NFL teams change head coaches, coordinators and systems so frequently. Development has become an afterthought. But when I look at the throws Cook has made against the competition he has faced, I see a player with the talent to be the top quarterback in this class. This is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback with a 34-5 record and rare arm talent. He is coming from an offense that required him to make difficult throws.
2. No QB in this draft makes more "wow" throws
Michigan State's vertical pass offense is what stands out when you watch Cook play. He is not throwing a bunch of bubble screens and quick screens. They are pushing the ball down the field. Cook is making tight-window throws -- with anticipation -- down the field while under duress. Al Davis, my old boss in Oakland, would have loved that about Connor Cook. Of all the quarterbacks in this draft, Cook is the one who is going to make coaches say "wow" when they're sitting alone in their offices early in the morning watching tape. It's not just that he makes more difficult attempts than most guys I've seen in the last few years, it's that he completes them when playing against top-level competition.
3. There is no avoiding the captaincy issue
Kirk Cousins was a three-time captain at Michigan State. Cook succeeded Cousins as the starter and was never a captain in East Lansing. Everyone wants to know why that was the case. Is Cook lacking in the leadership department? The subject was a big focus of the QB Camp show.
Jack Conklin might be my favorite player in this draft. He is a great senior left tackle, tough and physical with a mean streak. Conklin also was not a captain at Michigan State. On the field, with the Big Ten title in the balance, Cook converted a fourth-and-2 on a speed option run despite having a bad shoulder. It was a gutsy play in a big moment. He has beaten top-10 teams five times and he has gotten it done at Michigan State. Those are a couple points in Cook's favor as teams do their due diligence on him.
Cook's mental toughness is one of his strengths. He came off the bench to win a bowl game against TCU in 2013. He came off the bench against Notre Dame. He overcame a 20-point deficit against Baylor to win a bowl game. Big moments have brought out the best in him. He has shown resiliency throughout his career and that is encouraging for his future.
4. Cook's aggressive mindset is a blessing and a curse
I could put together a highlight tape and say Cook is the No. 1 quarterback. I can also show clips of a gunslinger who is not obeying the law. That is his biggest weakness by far. You have to give your receivers a chance, but you also have to be realistic and logical. Cook can make any throw, but he does not have to make every throw all the time. Some of the home-run shot plays need to be check-downs. These plays are always open down the field in practice, but as soon as you call them in the games, you get Cover 2, the safeties are deep and if you throw it down the field, you get intercepted. Cook needs to avoid overly aggressive interceptions by taking the safer option. As I told him, if you are not going to use the running back, we might as well play with only four eligible receivers.
5. Cook must improve in the screen game
I think 16 of the 22 interceptions Cook threw in 40 games were preventable, and some of those were on screens. If you are a great drop-back quarterback, you have to have a great screen game. Cook struggled on multiple screens at Michigan State. I really got on him about it when we met. He needs to learn to ground the ball when the screening back is not available to him. There is just no excuse for bad things to happen in the screen game. The quarterback knows the pressure is coming. He knows where his receiver is going to be. Screens must be a weapon for the offense. Too frequently they were a weapon the defense used against Cook at Michigan State. He needs to see the screening back's eyes before he releases the ball. There can be no throwing it blindly.
