Tom Pelissero

USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard for anyone to put into words, at least words fit for print.

But each time the question is asked – what do you think of Connor Cook? – the answer conveys a level of uneasiness about the Michigan State product some scouts believe could end up being the best quarterback in next week’s draft.

“There’s something off,” said an NFL quarterbacks coach, one of many people in the league who have spoken to Cook and gave their impressions to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity for competitive reasons. “There’s something about him that you just don’t trust him.”

“I don’t mind the kid at all,” a general manager for a different team said. “I’ll take an (expletive) who wins games over a nice guy who loses games. But there’s something missing with him.”

“There’s just something put-offish about him,” an offensive coordinator for a third team said. “It appears to me – I could be dead wrong – but he’d be a guy that, when he got in the locker room, they’d try to eat him up and spit him out.”

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It goes on like that, sometimes in more colorful terms than others – that indefinable “something” about Cook that gives pause at a position where teams heavily scrutinize intangible qualities. California’s Jared Goff and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz are likely to be the first two picks next week in part because they check that box, while Cook’s fate is far less certain. And this isn’t a new development.

Even as Cook was wrapping up an incredible three-year run as the Spartans’ starter last fall – 70 touchdown passes to 21 interceptions in an offense that emphasizes downfield passing, a 34-5 record that made him the winningest QB in school history – word in league circles was first-round talent and production might not lead to Cook being a first-round pick. Not being elected one of three full-time captains by his teammates only reinforced existing concerns.

Still, there’s a lot to like about Cook. He’s smart. He’s a good athlete (33-inch vertical jump and 4.79 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine). He has enough arm and can throw receivers open (though coaches say his accuracy and command of the football are inconsistent). He has played in big games and a pro-style scheme. He showed toughness late last season, playing with an injury to his throwing shoulder that left him “absolutely not 100%” in rough outings against Iowa and Alabama, Michigan State quarterbacks coach Brad Salem said.

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“I don’t know where (the concern) comes from, if there’s more evidence when you start for three years and they try to knock things down on ability and negative plays and all of a sudden personality,” Salem told USA TODAY Sports. “They’re making him out to be a criminal. He’s one of the more tender-hearted people you’ll meet. He cares about his teammates. He’s a guy that guys would rally around.”

To be clear, nobody says Cook, 23, is a bad kid. And several scouts during the combine told USA TODAY Sports they think Cook could have the best career of any QB in this class.

But when comparisons arise to the likes of Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton, something seems amiss.

“I think he just gets caught up in the persona and the whole ‘being the quarterback,’” said a scout for a fourth team who has studied Cook extensively. “That’s just my gut. The lifestyle’s more important to him than the actual grind and the process.”

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Salem said Cook grew substantially as a worker over his career. But formal and informal interviews over the past couple months seem to have done little to combat perception, with Cook often defaulting to a scripted recitation of his resume when questions arise about personality, leadership and even his game, people with knowledge of those meetings said.

“You don’t have to sell yourself to me,” the GM said. “I see the tape. I know the talent. But if you are the MVP of the Rose Bowl, this, that and whatever, why wouldn’t you be a captain?”

Cook, other Michigan State players and coaches roundly have said publicly the team had many leaders and Cook – a member of the Spartans’ 12-senior eagle council – was one of them.

“Truly, if guys weren’t going to follow you, can you have that much success at quarterback? And as a team?” Salem said. “At some point, it would’ve broke down.”

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Cook’s marketing agent, Peter Raskin, said in an email that media requests have been difficult to fulfill because of a busy schedule of team visits.

With just two quarterbacks considered locks to be drafted high and two others (Memphis’ Paxton Lynch and Cook) viewed as serious candidates for Round 1 – not to mention less than favorable early word on the QB class of 2017 – it’s possible Cook could go as soon as the middle of Round 1. It only takes one needy team to get comfortable enough to take a swing.

There’s also the possibility Cook could slide, to the second round or even as late as the third.

“He’s going to fall, I think,” an executive for a fifth team said. “Just the guy – people have their questions.”

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Those questions are still coming, and Salem said he has tried to keep Cook positive, acknowledging the process has “been hard for him,” especially when Cook hears things he feels are untrue.

“He’s been under attack ever since (the season ended),” Salem said. “So, if you’re under attack and you’ve never really done it, you’re confused in the process. He’s trying to defend himself for who he is, maybe. I said, listen, you’ve just got to tell (teams) who you are and answer honestly what you think and your experiences.

“I just think the people that are going to get him -- he’s going to be a very, very good NFL quarterback.”

Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.

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