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Connor Cook

Like Connor a lot. MSU plays very conservative so his numbers artificially held down, hoping that creates just enough wiggle room for Texans to draft him in first round, 2016. Accurate arm, pocket QB, displayed quicker motion than last season, well coached to play within a NFL system.
 
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beerlover said:
Connor Cook sure looks like a future pro QB despite his lack of hops or athletic ability.
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You know who else is a NFL QB from Michigan St with very little athletic ability?​

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Cook's numbers will be down because of the MSU play calling. They are very conservative. That being said, he strikes me as more of a game manager than a future star. There's nothing wrong with being an Alex Smith level talent, but those guys back into SB's. They don't win them.
 
I like Cook. I don't love him. Wouldn't risk a 1st round pick on his future.

That said, I hope he continues to play well. We may need him to get drafted early if Jared Goff is going to fall to us. He's the guy.
 
bah007 said:
I like Cook. I don't love him. Wouldn't risk a 1st round pick on his future.

That said, I hope he continues to play well. We may need him to get drafted early if Jared Goff is going to fall to us. He's the guy.
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:mcclain: is that you? J/K.

Connor won't make it out of first round, mark it down (unless suffers significant injury). He displays tools to run NFL playbook. How successful always question to be answered as nothing is ever certain. However I'll wager team who selects him will have easier time incorporating him into starting material than Goff.

If Texans can't vastly improve OL play they may prefer an even bigger body in mold of Big Ben, Cardale Jones 6-5 250. Durability is often overlooked in favor of shiny numbers but I've always checked box (NFL Build) as important measureable.

Anyway of first round talents those two stand out as early headliners of 2016 QB class.
 
beerlover said:
:mcclain: is that you? J/K.

Connor won't make it out of first round, mark it down (unless suffers significant injury). He displays tools to run NFL playbook. How successful always question to be answered as nothing is ever certain. However I'll wager team who selects him will have easier time incorporating him into starting material than Goff.

If Texans can't vastly improve OL play they may prefer an even bigger body in mold of Big Ben, Cardale Jones 6-5 250. Durability is often overlooked in favor of shiny numbers but I've always checked box (NFL Build) as important measureable.

Anyway of first round talents those two stand out as early headliners of 2016 QB class.
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I don't think Cook falls out of the first. I just wouldn't draft him in the first. Pretty similar to my stance on Winston this past year. I acknowledged that he would be selected in the first round, but I didn't have a first round grade on him. Still plenty of time before we hit the finish line, but as of now, I wouldn't wager a 1st on Cook.

I agree that he is certainly more ready for the NFL year one than Goff due to his familiarity with a more pro style college offense. But I think Goff translates his skills better to the next level.

And even though it's way early I'll call my shot on Jones. Someone will take him in the first and they will be drafting a bust. His NFL hype is out of control and he has put absolutely zilch on tape in regards to skills that translate to the next level. He's big and can throw far. That's it. Nothing else that he has shown is something he will be doing in the pros.
 
Mollywhopper said:
If you wouldn't take Cook in the first who, besides Goff, would you?
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Right now, nobody. I think Goff is in a class of his own and if I needed a QB I would pay to get him. There's still a long way to go though and my mind could change.

There are other guys that I like. Cook, Kessler, and Wentz are at the top. I think I could work with those guys. But it would be tough for me to use a high pick to do it. I don't think they are that kind of caliber. I think those three are pretty even, and I don't think all will go first round.

I want to like Hackenberg as well. I loved him as a freshman. But at this point I think he is damaged goods.
 
bah007 said:
Right now, nobody. I think Goff is in a class of his own and if I needed a QB I would pay to get him. There's still a long way to go though and my mind could change.

There are other guys that I like. Cook, Kessler, and Wentz are at the top. I think I could work with those guys. But it would be tough for me to use a high pick to do it. I don't think they are that kind of caliber. I think those three are pretty even, and I don't think all will go first round.

I want to like Hackenberg as well. I loved him as a freshman. But at this point I think he is damaged goods.
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I agree about Goff leading the pack. I suppose I ask more today as a Texan fan with the realizaion that Cook, I don't care what number we pick at in the first, looks mighty first-round worthy. I'm looking through quarterback driven-league eyes with no driver in sight.

Kessler too. His main detraction right now is that he plays at QB Bust U, but I think that's unfair. Like the talent around him should be a knock. I'm not ready to take that away from him until I start to hear about his mental makeup for the game. And he's an underrated athlete.
 
Mollywhopper said:
I agree about Goff leading the pack. I suppose I ask more today as a Texan fan with the realizaion that Cook, I don't care what number we pick at in the first, looks mighty first-round worthy. I'm looking through quarterback driven-league eyes with no driver in sight.

Kessler too. His main detraction right now is that he plays at QB Bust U, but I think that's unfair. Like the talent around him should be a knock. I'm not ready to take that away from him until I start to hear about his mental makeup for the game. And he's an underrated athlete.
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Cook is probably my #2 right now. I'm not looking for the perfect guy. I know that everybody this side of Luck has warts. The warts Cook has are just the kind that make me pause. He misses high way too much. It looks footwork related but it hasn't really improved over time. And he also rushes his throws too often under pressure.

The USC thing against Kessler is unfair. There is still a lot of talent there but probably less than any of the QB busts before him had. The only thing that concerns me is his height. Size isn't important to me, but you have to at least cross the minimum threshold. He's gonna be close. He might measure 6'1" at the combine and that could be an issue, depending on what kind of offense you're going to run. He doesn't really face anything exotic right now in college, so he doesn't have to work very hard to find passing lanes. It's a total guess how he'll do at that in the NFL. Brees does it just fine. Others, not so much. His arm strength is gonna be close too. It's more than strong enough if we're talking about how far he can throw, but the zip on throws outside the hashes may not be there. Looks good enough when I watch him, but that extra distance on the big boy field makes a huge difference.
 
If Michigan State finishes with 10 wins, plus a top 4 finish, it's going to be hard to say Cook isn't worth a top 5 pick.
 
thunderkyss said:
If Michigan State finishes with 10 wins, plus a top 4 finish, it's going to be hard to say Cook isn't worth a top 5 pick.
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I really don't see it as that black and white. Cook threw for 190 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT against Oregon. Not a bad game at all, but they certainly didn't win that game off his arm. Their RB's ran for 200 yards at 5.5 yards a pop and the defense held Oregon's vaunted rushing offense to 2.9 ypc.

Just because a team is great doesn't mean the Quarterback is great. You have to look deeper than that. Alabama went 12-2 and finished #6 in John Parker Wilson's final year. Did he deserve to be drafted top 5 because of the team's success?

The biggest thing with Cook is that he has just a 58.1% career completion percentage. That's not all that great. It's rare for a guy to complete more passes in the NFL than in college so if he sticks at 58% in college.....
 
Mistake made over & over & over again is in regards to grades given to prospects coming out of College because there are no guarantees next level. Just a canvas to paint, stroke, brush, color, appraisal.
Not that I'm a QB whisper but if I could Connor Cook has as good of chance as any to become what Houston so sorely needs.
 
I really hoped Cook would be the guy but have not seen it so far. Does seem that "system QB" is doing well in Tennessee
 
Texian said:
Vs Rutgers Comp 23 ATT 37 YDs 359 62.2% YPA 9.7 Sacks 1 Long 6 TDs 2 INT 1 QB Rating 156.1

Michigan State holds off late scare to down Rutgers, stays undefeated
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post...ff-late-scare-to-down-rutgers-stay-undefeated
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Those stats are good but I'm waiting to see what he does against teams like Ohio State if he throws for 4 TDs 1 INT over about 350 YDs with a QB rating of over 65% it is hard not for any NFL team not to look at him and take him in the 1st Round
 
I like that he can make the tough completions.
He senses the pressure, keeps his eyes down field..
That's the type of quarterback you need in today's NFL.
His footwork is beautiful. Excellent pocket awareness.


He reminds me of Brett Favre at Southern Mississippi. Couple inches taller.
 
Latest mock on CBS Sports has the Texans selecting Connor Cook with the 6th pick.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...inless-lions-will-pounce-on-joey-bosa-at-no-1

6. Houston Texans: Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State
The Texans aren't going anywhere with Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer at quarterback and Bill O'Brien needs to make a change. The top 10 is a little too rich for Cook, but he fits O'Brien's offense and Houston can't afford to wait.

I wouldn't complain with that. Whether people think it's high or not. If it is high then we could always trade down a little bit. They have Goff going 5 to the Bears. No quarterbacks going in the top 4. A couple of D-Lineman going top two.
 
Bulls on Parade said:
Latest mock on CBS Sports has the Texans selecting Connor Cook with the 6th pick.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...inless-lions-will-pounce-on-joey-bosa-at-no-1

6. Houston Texans: Connor Cook, QB, Michigan State
The Texans aren't going anywhere with Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer at quarterback and Bill O'Brien needs to make a change. The top 10 is a little too rich for Cook, but he fits O'Brien's offense and Houston can't afford to wait.

I wouldn't complain with that. Whether people think it's high or not. If it is high then we could always trade down a little bit. They have Goff going 5 to the Bears. No quarterbacks going in the top 4. A couple of D-Lineman going top two.
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I haven't watched much of him this year. But I've been impressed when I saw him in a couple of games I watched last year. One of them being against Marcus Mariota & he looked like the better QB that day.

We'll see how his season turns out & I'll probably catch a game or two, but I've liked what I've seen so far.
 
Texian said:
I need to see more from Goff. Until I do right now I have Cook ahead of Goff and Wentz ahead of Cook.
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I like Wentz a lot from what I've seen, but it's hard to get a true bead on him because I never get to see him play. I'm going to have to do most of my work on him after the season.

There are a few guys that I've seen quite a bit (enough to feel confident about my evaluation), and I'd rank them:

Top Tier (Franchise QB potential)
Goff, Cal
Cook, Michigan St

2nd Tier (Has potential but not for everyone)
Kessler, USC
Hackenberg, Penn St
Sudfeld, Indiana
Wilson, Utah

3rd Tier (I wouldn't draft)
Kiel, Cincinnati
Jones, Ohio St
Hogan, Stanford
Boykin, TCU
Prescott, Mississippi St


Then I have another group of guys who I like for tier 1 or 2 but just don't have enough yet to say for sure:
Wentz, North Dakota St
Lynch, Memphis
Doughty, Western Kentucky
Frohnapfel, Massachusetts
Towles, Kentucky
 
bah007 said:
I like Wentz a lot from what I've seen, but it's hard to get a true bead on him because I never get to see him play. I'm going to have to do most of my work on him after the season.

There are a few guys that I've seen quite a bit (enough to feel confident about my evaluation), and I'd rank them:

Top Tier (Franchise QB potential)
Goff, Cal
Cook, Michigan St

2nd Tier (Has potential but not for everyone)
Kessler, USC
Hackenberg, Penn St
Sudfeld, Indiana
Wilson, Utah

3rd Tier (I wouldn't draft)
Kiel, Cincinnati
Jones, Ohio St
Hogan, Stanford
Boykin, TCU
Prescott, Mississippi St


Then I have another group of guys who I like for tier 1 or 2 but just don't have enough yet to say for sure:
Wentz, North Dakota St
Lynch, Memphis
Doughty, Western Kentucky
Frohnapfel, Massachusetts
Towles, Kentucky
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Personally I'd put Hack in the third tier. He's gonna be damaged good come year end
 
PHILLYTEXANFAN said:
Personally I'd put Hack in the third tier. He's gonna be damaged good come year end
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I think there might be a team out there that could make it work with Hack. It would take a lot of patience but it could happen.

As it pertains to us it doesn't matter. I have zero confidence that the Texans could ever make that work.
 
bah007 said:
I like Wentz a lot from what I've seen, but it's hard to get a true bead on him because I never get to see him play. I'm going to have to do most of my work on him after the season.

There are a few guys that I've seen quite a bit (enough to feel confident about my evaluation), and I'd rank them:

Top Tier (Franchise QB potential)
Goff, Cal
Cook, Michigan St

2nd Tier (Has potential but not for everyone)
Kessler, USC
Hackenberg, Penn St
Sudfeld, Indiana
Wilson, Utah

3rd Tier (I wouldn't draft)
Kiel, Cincinnati
Jones, Ohio St
Hogan, Stanford
Boykin, TCU
Prescott, Mississippi St


Then I have another group of guys who I like for tier 1 or 2 but just don't have enough yet to say for sure:
Wentz, North Dakota St
Lynch, Memphis
Doughty, Western Kentucky
Frohnapfel, Massachusetts
Towles, Kentucky
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2 guys I kinda like are Russell from Baylor. (Very athletic) and Kiel who is very talented but cant seem to be able to stay healthy. What is your opinion of these guys?

I really dont like Cook (Too mechanical and I question his accuracy) and am meh on Hack. Dont really know much about the other guys. I think Goff is a Matt Ryan clone.
 
steelbtexan said:
2 guys I kinda like are Russell from Baylor. (Very athletic) and Kiel who is very talented but cant seem to be able to stay healthy. What is your opinion of these guys?

I really dont like Cook (Too mechanical and I question his accuracy) and am meh on Hack. Dont really know much about the other guys. I think Goff is a Matt Ryan clone.
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Some have said the Kiel has been a nomad transferring several times kinda like Savage .
 
steelbtexan said:
2 guys I kinda like are Russell from Baylor. (Very athletic) and Kiel who is very talented but cant seem to be able to stay healthy. What is your opinion of these guys?

I really dont like Cook (Too mechanical and I question his accuracy) and am meh on Hack. Dont really know much about the other guys. I think Goff is a Matt Ryan clone.
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I just can't see a scenario where Russell goes pro this year. He has a year left and has virtually nothing on tape so far.

I don't like Kiel much. He has the arm talent but I don't think he's accurate enough and he hasn't really shown that he has it between the ears either. Those are two big red flags to me.
 
I've been down on Cook for a while now because I don't think he's all that accurate and he plays more like a game manager. I don't see him as a franchise guy. I compare him to Ryan Tannehill (good enough to hold down the job, but inaccurate and above average at best). He was productive against Rutgers last weekend and looked really good in the 2nd half and on 3rd downs...but Rutgers defense is not good.

However, he has a big chance to change my mind this weekend. This Michigan defense has been ELITE so far this season. Opposing QB's have a 76.5 QB Rating against them (45.4 using NFL rating system). They have only allowed 2 passing TD's all season and are only giving up 115 pass yards per game and a 47.7% completion percentage. They've pitched 3 straight shutouts and have not allowed a team to enter the redzone since UNLV did it in garbage time 4 games ago. They have a very talented D-Line and very good DB's and Michigan State has a banged up O-Line. If they win that game it will be because Cook went off and, with what he's missing in front of him, that should look very impressive on tape.
 
It's Connor Cook Day! Set those DVRs. This could be the best game he plays to evaluate his skills.

AT MICHIGAN
Saturday, 10/17, 3:30PM EST
TV: ESPN
 
2:30 on ESPN: Michigan State versus Michigan. I'll be watching. You mentioned an interesting fact about MSU's banged up O-Line.

In fact, a lot of Connor Cook highlights that I've seen and been impressed with is his ability to make accurate passes while under pressure in the pocket.

He has an amazing pocket awareness and still keeps his eyes down the field. He completes beautiful passes out of dire situations. Most quarterbacks under such duress would get sacked, force an INT or throw it away. He still finds a way to make big plays.

It's a slap in the face to call him a game manager when all he does is keep the chains moving. We're faulting the guy for being poised and excellent passing under pressure? Any quarterback who can thrive under constant pressure is one that is capable of playing at a high level in the NFL.

There is no telling how good he can become if he has reliable pass protection. This kid can thrive playing in just about any NFL system. Especially on a team with a makeshift and bad offensive line. Similar to what the Houston Texans usually have.
 
Call your family, text your friends! Spread the word out.
Tell them not to miss Connor Cook versus Michigan.

Still two hours away. LOL, I think time has stopped moving.
The past half hour felt more like two or three hours.

I haven't been this excited about a college quarterback prospect since Carson Palmer coming out of USC back in 2003. I have to be honest that I wasn't overly thrilled with Andrew Luck, believe it or not, just because I knew he was going to the Colts and I hate the Colts with a passion.

No worries guys. I think Connor Cook will become a better pro than Carson Palmer. Even a young Carson Palmer would have been killed behind that atrocious O-Line. His O-Line at USC was leaps and bounds better than MSU's O-Line this year. And still Connor Cook is finding ways to win games and making big plays getting pressured every other pass.
 
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Wow. What a sweet first-down pass by Connor Cook on third and long. The offensive line finally gave him good pass protection. Not bad. Not bad at all. I like what I see early on.

Michigan's defense has been dominating on the other plays. Connor Cook looks good under the circumstances. If Michigan State is going to win the other guys have to step up though.

Another strike of a pass. First down pass by Cook.

On second thought maybe Cook can win this game by himself. LOL

I'm highly impressed with this kid. He's no game manager. The kid can throw and throw under pressure at that. He's a flat out gamer and I love quarterbacks like that.
 
MSU's offensive line is making it tough though.
Chop block made it 2nd and 21. Only so much Cook can do.
Michigan's defense is as good as advertised. Flying to the ball.

Cook threw an interception but it was a strong and accurate pass off first glance.

The defense held the intended receiver... That's why! LOL
A penalty on defensive holding makes it "no interception".

Cook is having a good drive despite Michigan's defense playing well.

Take away a few beautiful Cook first-down passes, especially on 3rd and long, and Michigan State would have punted a long time ago. Instead they are eating up clock and having one hell of a drive in the big house.

Almost the end of the first quarter and Michigan State is close to the red zone.

Damn. Drive stalls. Looks like a Field Goal attempt. But Cook had a good drive.
Michigan has great cornerbacks that are covering the receivers as well as possible.

MSU is going for 4th and 8. No Field Goal.

Cook was off. Damn. Out of bounds. It was a floater pass on the side lines. His man had a small step on the corner. Man oh man. Why not kick the FG?

Okay guys. That's one part of Cook's game which I'll grade negatively for now.
That floater "touch pass". The type of thing Mallett and Hoyer suck at also.

But all the other areas he's impressive in my eyes.
 
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bah007 said:
I would much rather trade up in front of the Bears and take Goff at #4.
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If we finish 1-15 we'll be able to draft any quarterback we want.

I sort of like Connor Cook. Even the bad plays he makes I think are teachable and correctable. The stuff you can't teach, like pocket awareness and arm strength, can't be taught.

But damn. I wanted Cook to put on a show at Michigan. He had such a nice first drive only to be erased by an incomplete, out of bounds pass on 4th and 8 down the side lines. If he makes a perfect touch pass there it could have been caught.

I hate to see a quarterback have one hell of a drive only to finish with no points on the board and a turnover on downs. It erases all the good passes on that drive.

Most head coaches would have kicked the field goal and gone up 3-0 on the road. Reward your quarterback with an early lead feeling confident on the first drive. Now Connor Cook walked to the side line shaking his head. Looking a little discouraged. Hopefully the kid comes out on the second drive and looks sharp.

We learn a lot about these quarterbacks in situations like these. How does he handle adversity? If he shakes it off and comes back strong I'll be impressed. Cook is facing a great defense on the road. It's the best atmosphere you can have toward judging him. Already facing some adversity as well.

I saw what Jared Goff did with adversity on the road last week. He threw five interceptions. Now let's see what Cook can do in the same situation. Against a kick-ass defense on the road.
 
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Michigan St offensive line looks just fine to me. Cook getting plenty of time and hasn't been touched.

This has been a typical performance at the start. Some good throws mixed with inconsistent accuracy.

The INT was erased by the penalty. Not his fault anyway. But he's dirted a ball on a wide open out route and he's also missed high on two or three that should have been completed.
 
Michigan State's O-Line looked solid on the first drive but the receivers still aren't getting any separation. Michigan's secondary is the best in the country it looks like. Their cornerbacks are allowing very tight windows at best for Cook to throw to. Cook has to be perfect to complete some of those passes.

It will be interesting to see what Cook can do the rest of this game. Overall I was impressed by the first drive except the incompletion on 4th and 8. I thought he missed a potential first down but it would have taken a perfect pass. His receiver had a small room of separation on the side line.

It's a good test though. Michigan's secondary seems like it's NFL caliber.

Jeez. Screw Michigan's offense. They're having a long drive also.
I'm not watching this game to see what Michigan State's defense can do.

LOL. Hurry up and score or turn the ball over. I'm ready to see Connor Cook again. Touchdown Michigan. So now we can be assured to see Cook passing more playing from behind. I'll take it. When evaluating a quarterback the more passes he throws the better.
 
Michigan likes to press on the outside, which is smart at the college level because you can get away with more contact. The MSU WRs are gonna have to get physical back or they are gonna get blanketed. Burbridge is the only guy fighting through press and that's why he's caught four balls already.

Michigan St did have a 16 play drive, but it was more due to Michigan than anything Cook did. Two penalties on third downs. Cook is only 5/12 so far. They need to get the running game going or it's going to be Cook dropping back to throw on every play with the defense ready to tee off.
 
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