Gruden: Cook a first rounder

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

CGI_Ram

Hamburger Connoisseur
Moderator
Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Messages
48,082
Name
Burger man
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.
 

nighttrain

Legend
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
9,216
we didn't trade up to #1 to draft Cook, might have been a big mistake. Completion he faced far superior to what Wentz went up against, Wouldnt that be a kick in the head if he ends up being superior to both Wentz and Goff. We probably could have him at #15 , and all of our draft picks to get him some receivers:mrburnsevil:
train
 

CGI_Ram

Hamburger Connoisseur
Moderator
Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Messages
48,082
Name
Burger man
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3
There are things I like about Cook, but I can't get past the "captain" thing. It would seem to indicate he's a little aloof and not connecting with his offensive team members the way a leader should. Ryan Leaf had this same reputation. Not to suggest he's going to bust like Leaf did... but it screams mental make-up concerns like was discussed here:

http://www.ramsondemand.com/threads/a-lesson-in-intangibles.44265/#post-740371

It's a big red flag for me.
 

nighttrain

Legend
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
9,216
I'd have to here something real negative from his former teammates. So far have heard or read zilch
train
 

blackbart

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
6,212
Name
Tim
I don't get the idea that the QB has to be the captain. Who was the team captain for those 3 years? The win loss record and the come back victories in bowl games are much more important to me. Winning under pressure on the big stage is a much bigger part of his make up to me.
 

DB16

UDFA
Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
34
Name
Dennis B.
It's quite bizzare that he was never captain for a season. But it didn't stop him from winning games. He was fun to watch as well. I liked him a lot last year. But it's the draft. QBs shoot up just as quickly as some dive down. I mean, who would've ever seen Wentz going 1st or 2nd overall in an NFL draft a year ago?

I would've enjoyed seeing Cook on the Rams with the 15th pick. But hey, we traded up. I'm not one for caring about the "What-if"s in things.
 

Elmgrovegnome

Legend
Joined
Jan 23, 2013
Messages
21,605
There are things I like about Cook, but I can't get past the "captain" thing. It would seem to indicate he's a little aloof and not connecting with his offensive team members the way a leader should. Ryan Leaf had this same reputation. Not to suggest he's going to bust like Leaf did... but it screams mental make-up concerns like was discussed here:

http://www.ramsondemand.com/threads/a-lesson-in-intangibles.44265/#post-740371

It's a big red flag for me.

I'd have to here something real negative from his former teammates. So far have heard or read zilch
train

I read that this story was overblown. MSU had a lot of Seniors so each week they voted on new Captains. Cook was one of the Captains 4 different times. Someone is making a big deal over nothing.

Now others have said he has a different personality. Some said he likes being the QB. I guess that means the status it comes with. Others say he didn't interview well. Who knows if it is smoke or not. Jrry still had him in the top group because he was able to make reads and good decisions. His inconsistency keeps him from being a top QB imo. However, he only had one really good receiver last year in Burbridge.

Who knows? And yes it would suck if he ends up being the best of the bunch and goes in round 2. But he is rated lower than Goff and Wentz for a good reason. There are things that both of them have that he has not demonstrated as being able to do. So, I trust the trade up..........for now.