4. Connor Cook
EXPERIENCE: Senior
PROJECTED ROUND: 1st/2nd HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-4/217 LBS
CAREER NUMBERS: 57.5% completion; 9,194 yards passing; 71 passing TDs; 22 INTs; 209 yards rushing; 3 rushing TDs
Connor Cook often looks the part of a top-tier quarterback, but there are enough question marks surrounding his talent and character that NFL teams have reason to be worried. This is a guy that likely would have been a top 10-15 pick had he come out after his Junior season, and yet he wasn’t even voted team captain heading into his Senior year. To many, that comes across as a major red flag.
When you’re the four-year quarterback of a top-10 program, you’re the team captain, every time. That’s just how it is. But not with Cook. And the concerns don’t stop there.
Cook, reportedly, has a “different” personality, making it hard for teammates and coaches to get along with him on and off the field. His awkward interaction with Archie Griffin following the Big Ten title game, and his decision to skip out on the Senior Bowl, did not help.
If Cook can put all the little things together, he could be a long-term option for a franchise. But if he can’t handle the pressure when he’s the No. 1 option on one of the best teams in the nation, how is he going to handle being a backup as a young player?
