Oakland Raiders: Thoughts on the Connor Cook selection

Instant reaction to the Oakland Raiders selection of Connor Cook in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

With the media highlighting their needs at running back and inside linebacker heading into Day 3 of the 2016 NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders traded up to the second pick in the fourth round to select former Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook.

In the trade, the Raiders gave the Cleveland Browns their fourth round pick (114^th overall) and one of their fifth round picks (154^th overall) in exchange for the 100^th overall selection.

Cook, a four-year starter at Michigan State, cemented himself as the winningest quarterback in Spartan history with his 34-5 record. In 43 career games, Cook completed 58 percent of his passes for 9,194 yards, 71 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions, as he finished his career at MSU as the record holder for most career passing yards and touchdowns, per MSUSpartans.com.

On top of his elite production, Cook proved that he could diagnose coverages and progress through his reads in a pro-style offense. He is confident throwing the football and displays an overwhelming amount of competitiveness on key downs, as he always wants the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.

According to ProFootballFocus.com, Cook’s overall grade on third downs in 2015 tied for the best among all quarterbacks entering the 2016 NFL draft.

At 6’4”, 217 pounds, Cook possesses an elite frame for the position, and he is capable of making all of the throws given his elite arm strength and release. Though he isn’t a mobile quarterback by any means, Cook is has functional mobility in the pocket and will use his legs when necessary. He ran a 4.79-second 40-yard dash at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine.

A primary reason for why Cook fell down draft boards is because of the question marks surrounding his leadership in the locker room, as he was never honored as a team captain at MSU and rumors began to spread about his character concerns. Cook addressed these speculations shortly after being selected by Oakland today.

“I don’t think you can win that many games and be that successful at a program without being a leader,” Cook said, via Jimmy Durkin of the Bay Area News Group. “I think all that stuff was just so far from the truth. Everything will work itself out. If people want to talk and say all that stuff and they’ve never even sat down and talked to me or got to know me as a person. We were successful for a reason. That’s pretty much all I’ve got to say. I’m just looking forward to this whole journey and getting a chance to just be a part of a great organization and just go out there and compete.”

Expect Cook to enter the league with a chip on his shoulder, as the negative media attention and his fall in this draft should only fuel his competitive nature.

Also, a major concern regarding Cook’s play on the field is his inability to remain consistent in his accuracy on short and intermediate throws. Though he would often drop a dime deep down the field in tight coverage on one play, Cook would often respond with a surprisingly inaccurate throw on a dump off to the flats or screen play.

According to PFF.com, Cook was the most accurate deep passer in this year’s class, as he earned a 59.4 percent completion rate on passes 20 yards or more. But, of course, he failed to mirror his success on shorter passes.

Though it’s a stretch to say that Cook will develop into a starter in Oakland given the success of 2014 second-round pick Derek Carr because the two are just two years apart in age, NFL Network’s Mark Dulgerian highlights the fact that Cook could develop into a ‘valuable asset’ due to his potential.

“Four-year starter with plenty of ‘big game’ experience,” Dulgerian said just after Cook was selected. “Has some NFL starter tools as a passer and would’ve been selected sooner had he earned better marks for the leadership traits. Raiders traded up for an ideal backup for Carr with the potential to develop into a more valuable asset down the line.”

Similarly to when the New England Patriots brought in Ryan Mallet, the Raiders could use Cook as trade bait to some of the other teams in need of a quarterback if shows starting-caliber qualities throughout his development process.

Also, Oakland could have brought in Cook to replace current backup quarterback Matt McGloin, as the former Penn State quarterback has flashed in a limited role with Oakland, and as a result, has likely drawn some trade offers.

Regardless of what the Raiders do with Cook in the near future, he’s a developmental prospect that should benefit Oakland whether he is kept for depth or traded way for future draft capital, but at what cost?

As mentioned previously, the Raiders still have needs at both the running back position and inside linebacker, and now that they have spent one pick on a quarterback and traded another one away, Oakland has just three more picks in this year’s draft. If Oakland can still add a dynamic runner and possibly a developmental prospect at inside linebacker, the media and the Raiders’ fan base might spare them the scrutiny, but here is no guarantee that McKenzie doesn’t simply continue to draft the best player available regardless of position.