CHICAGO -- Whether questions about Connor Cook's leadership and character were overblown won't be answered until the former Michigan State quarterback has had a chance to settle into an NFL locker room and find a role.
But whether NFL teams were serious about those concerns was emphatically answered Friday night.
Cook, widely expected to be the fourth quarterback picked in the 2016 NFL Draft behind first-round picks Jared Goff, Carson Wentz and Paxton Lynch, remains available as the draft enters round four on Saturday. In the second round, the New York Jets chose Penn State's Christian Hackenberg over Cook with the No. 51 overall pick. In the third round, the New England Patriots took North Carolina State's Jacoby Brissett, and the Cleveland Browns took USC's Cody Kessler.
That means the former Spartans star will be, at best, the seventh quarterback taken.
"I think he'll go (Saturday) in the fourth round," NFL Media draft expert Mike Mayock said (Saturday's broadcast of Rounds 4-7 begins at noon ET on NFL Network).
Among the teams with a quarterback need that still have not taken one are the Dallas Cowboys, who showed significant pre-draft interest in Mississippi State's Dak Prescott. Other quarterbacks still available include Ohio State's Cardale Jones and Stanford's Kevin Hogan.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
