CHICAGO -- The fourth round was a curiously late point in the 2016 NFL Draft for Connor Cook to be chosen, and the Oakland Raiders were an equally curious destination.
The former Michigan State quarterback was thought to be a potential late first-round pick, particularly after trades set up other quarterbacks to be the first two picks of the draft. Instead, accuracy issues and long-reported concerns about Cook's leadership skills, in particular the fact that he wasn't a team captain at MSU despite being a three-year starter, played a role in his slide to Round 4, where the Raiders took him with pick No. 100.
"The knock on Connor Cook and why he dropped, number one, 58 percent thrower over his career," said NFL Media draft expert Mike Mayock on Saturday. "He was 34-5 (at Michigan State), so that's pretty outstanding, but the second piece, whether you like it or not, is the whole leadership and captain conversation. Some teams in the NFL believe he should've been a captain as voted on by his teammates. Some NFL teams don't care."
Clearly, the Raiders were among those that weren't worried about whether Cook had a "C" on his jersey. And with one of the NFL's most promising young quarterbacks in Derek Carr already on the roster, the club probably won't need Cook for any leadership in the short-term, anyway. Not only did they pick Cook, they traded up to get him in a deal with the Cleveland Browns.
NFL Media analyst Charles Davis called Cook one of the draft's most polarizing players last month. Enough teams were polarized in the wrong direction to facilitate a significant slide for one of the draft's most talented passers.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
