When NFL teams attempt to evaluate draft prospects, the digging goes beyond physical talent and also attempts to identify, quantify and make a judgment on a player's character. And when there's even the smallest concerns about the personality and leadership of a quarterback, those are placed under the microscope unlike any other position.
There's an attempt to make intangibles as tangible as possible. Because a mistake, especially at quarterback, can devastate a franchise and cost decision-makers their jobs.
Just two years ago, Johnny Manziel was a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, but not before a surprising fall to the Cleveland Browns at No. 22 in the draft order. The best explanation for the long wait in the green room for Manziel, which even sparked an avalanche of #BeforeManzielGetsDrafted tweets, was the party boy image that the former Heisman Trophy winner spent most of the pre-draft process trying to distance himself from. That image turned out to be a frightening reality for the Browns.
Two years later, teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings all look smart for looking elsewhere to fill their quarterback needs, and the Browns are the ones with egg on their face. Those who made the decision in Cleveland to draft Manziel are out of jobs and the new regime is determined not to take a player who similarly explodes in their face.
So it's not surprising that teams take the smallest reasons to doubt a quarterback's ability to be a team leader and extrapolate them into red flags that justify not risking jobs on their success.
Michigan State's Connor Cook was a three-year starter, leading the Spartans to a 34-5 record with three All-Big Ten selections. He's 6'4, 217 pounds from a pro-style offense with the arm strength and release of an NFL starter, and he showed consistent improvement in his college career.
No, he's not a perfect prospect. There are accuracy concerns and questions about his ability to play his best football on the biggest stages, he has also been dogged by teams trying to determine if he is truly a player they want to be a signal caller.
"Is the guy a leader in the building? That's what you want to see," a talent evaluator told Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated after Cook's pro day showing in March. "So he passed the test as a QB, but it's more than that for that position. I think there's some maturity issues there."
"Selfish. He goes out too much. It's a tell-tale sign when your teammates don't like you, and I know they don't," another anonymous scout told Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He's good, but that position is more than physical attributes. It's also leadership. Is he going to lead your guys? I don't think so. He'll be a starter but I don't think he can lead you to the promised land."
Cook is clearly behind Carson Wentz, Jared Goff and Paxton Lynch in the draft class, but if it was strictly an evaluation of physical skills, maybe he wouldn't be. While Wentz and Lynch were having huge games against North Dakota and SMU, Cook had tough games in 2015 against some of the toughest defenses in the nation, like Michigan and Alabama. And still his numbers don't pale in comparison to the quarterbacks expected to go in the first round.
Plenty of the criticism stems from the fact that Cook was never a team captain at Michigan State, and the quarterback also rubbed many the wrong way when he snatched a trophy away from Archie Griffin and gave the two-time Heisman Trophy winner the cold shoulder at the Big Ten Championship.
"People might think, ‘Oh, he doesn't get along with his teammates,' which couldn't be further from the truth," Cook said at at the NFL Combine in February. "The trophy presentation, people might jump to that and think, ‘Oh, well, he's this, and he's that,' but that couldn't be further from the truth, as well. I'm looking forward to being able to meet with these teams, get to know them, and have them get to know me on a personal level. Hopefully I can change those misconceptions."
Last year, there was plenty of chatter about the maturity and off-field transgressions of Jameis Winston. Even the docile Marcus Mariota was considered to be possibly too docile. "Like, if you punched him in the stomach, he might apologize," an anonymous scout told Sports Illustrated.
NFL MVP Cam Newton was once eviscerated by Nolan Nawrocki, who wrote about the "disingenuous" Heisman Trophy winner who plays to cameras:
"Has an enormous ego with a sense of entitlement that continually invites trouble and makes him believe he is above the law. Does not command respect from teammates and always will struggle to win a locker room. Only a one-year producer. Lacks accountability, focus and trustworthiness. Is not punctual, seeks shortcuts and sets a bad example. Immature and has had issues with authority. Not dependable."
Are the concerns about Cook justified? Time will tell, but his Michigan State teammates are adamant that they aren't. First-round offensive tackle prospect Jack Conklin said at the NFL Combine that there was "no doubt" that Cook was a leader and "anybody at the Michigan State program" would give the same answer.
And if the character red flags for Cook don't reflect reality, it wouldn't be the first time that NFL teams overanalyzed a quarterback.
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