I was surprised Connor Cook lasted until the fourth round. I think most people were. The general feeling was that he would go in either the second or third. Eventually the Raiders traded up and got him, figuring to develop behind behind Derek Carr.
What made Cook fall? Nobody knows for sure, and different teams could have passed on him for different reasons. There was some talk about his leadership and personality, with the observation that he wasn’t a captain at Michigan State.
Just looking at the numbers, though, I see that Cook never completed 59 percent of his passes in any of his years as a starter. With the way the game is played nowadays, that’s a remarkably low number.
Cook was down at 56 percent last year.
In the last 10 years, 29 quarterbacks have been selected in the first round. All but one of them completed a higher percentage of passes in his final college season. Only Jake Locker comes in lower, and he had the athleticism dimension. (Also note that Locker is out of the league already.)
Accuracy is important. Job is to put the ball in the hands of pass catchers. And that might be why some didn’t feel Cook was worth a gamble pick in the second or third round.
COMPLETION PERCENTAGES OF FIRST-ROUND QUARTERBACKS (and Cook) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Pct | Yards | TD | Int | Rating |
2012 | Brandon Weeden, Clev. | 72.3% | 4,727 | 37 | 13 | 109.6 |
2012 | Robert Griffin III, Wash. | 71.7% | 4,293 | 37 | 6 | 130.1 |
2012 | Andrew Luck, Ind. | 71.3% | 3,517 | 37 | 10 | 118.0 |
2014 | Teddy Bridgewater, Minn. | 71.0% | 3,970 | 31 | 4 | 120.3 |
2014 | Johnny Manziel, Clev. | 69.9% | 4,114 | 37 | 13 | 116.4 |
2015 | Marcus Mariota, Tenn. | 68.3% | 4,454 | 42 | 4 | 128.4 |
2013 | EJ Manuel, Buff. | 68.0% | 3,397 | 23 | 10 | 104.3 |
2007 | JaMarcus Russell, Oak. | 67.8% | 3,129 | 28 | 8 | 114.3 |
2010 | Tim Tebow, Den. | 67.8% | 2,895 | 21 | 5 | 112.7 |
2014 | Blake Bortles, Jac. | 67.8% | 3,581 | 25 | 9 | 109.6 |
2016 | Paxton Lynch, Den. | 66.8% | 3,776 | 28 | 4 | 110.6 |
2011 | Cam Newton, Car. | 66.1% | 2,854 | 30 | 7 | 124.9 |
2009 | Mark Sanchez, NYJ | 65.8% | 3,207 | 34 | 10 | 113.0 |
2006 | Matt Leinart, Ariz. | 65.7% | 3,815 | 28 | 8 | 107.6 |
2015 | Jameis Winston, T.B. | 65.3% | 3,907 | 25 | 18 | 93.2 |
2006 | Vince Young, Tenn. | 65.2% | 3,036 | 26 | 10 | 109.2 |
2016 | Jared Goff, L.A. | 64.5% | 4,719 | 43 | 13 | 109.8 |
2008 | Joe Flacco, Balt. | 63.5% | 4,263 | 23 | 5 | 99.8 |
2011 | Blaine Gabbert, Jac. | 63.4% | 3,186 | 16 | 9 | 86.2 |
2016 | Carson Wentz, Phil. | 62.5% | 1,651 | 17 | 4 | 106.5 |
2007 | Brady Quinn, Clev. | 61.9% | 3,426 | 37 | 7 | 104.4 |
2012 | Ryan Tannehill, Mia. | 61.6% | 3,744 | 29 | 15 | 89.2 |
2011 | Christian Ponder, Minn. | 61.5% | 2,044 | 20 | 8 | 93.0 |
2009 | Matthew Stafford, Det. | 61.4% | 3,459 | 25 | 10 | 101.7 |
2008 | Matt Ryan, Atl. | 59.3% | 4,507 | 31 | 19 | 83.9 |
2006 | Jay Cutler, Den. | 59.1% | 3,073 | 21 | 9 | 86.1 |
2009 | Josh Freeman, T.B. | 58.6% | 2,945 | 20 | 8 | 91.8 |
2010 | Sam Bradford, St.L. | 56.5% | 562 | 2 | 0 | 92.8 |
2016 | Connor Cook, Oak. | 56.1% | 3,131 | 24 | 7 | 93.3 |
2011 | Jake Locker, Tenn. | 55.4% | 2,265 | 17 | 9 | 82.5 |
On the "rating" here, by the way, that's not their college passer rating, but their rating using the NFL's complex formula.
—Ian Allan