Add a Super Bowl-bound wide receiver to the list of former Michigan State players circling Spartan-green wagons around Connor Cook.
The former MSU quarterback is among the top prospects at his position for the 2016 NFL Draft, but he's come under scrutiny for off-field concerns ranging from his leadership abilities, to his brusque encounter with Ohio State legend Archie Griffin in accepting the Big Ten title game MVP trophy, to his decision to skip the Reese's Senior Bowl. One NFL scout described Cook as a guy who "likes being a celebrity" too much.
Denver Broncos wide receiver Bennie Fowler isn't having it.
"I think he will be a great NFL quarterback, and I don't understand all this speculation of off-the-field issues or him not being a great leader," Fowler said, according to the MLive Media Group. "You don't win how many games he won in college without being a great leader."
Fowler played with both Cook and Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins at Michigan State.
"(Cook) has been winning since he was a sophomore, (and) he won the Rose Bowl, he won the Cotton Bowl, he led epic comebacks, and he's done it in every way, so I don't understand where it comes from," Fowler said. "But I think he'll answer all of those questions at the draft in the meeting rooms, and he'll show people how smart he is and what type of leader he is. I just don't know where it came from. He was my (starting) quarterback for one season, but I saw Connor grow since he was a freshman."
Fowler isn't the only former Spartan to defend Cook. Senior Bowl wide receiver Aaron Burbridge did the same, and linebacker Darien Harrisvehemently denied any character issues with Cook prior to the East-West Shrine Game last week.
Whatever concerns NFL clubs might have about Cook's mental makeup, they'll get every chance to allay them at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis next month.
Fowler, for one, has none.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *@ChaseGoodbread*.