Chris Solari

Lansing State Journal

Connor Cook's long wait is finally over. He's an NFL player.

One who admits he will enter the league with a Michigan State-sized chip on his shoulder as motivation.

The former Spartan quarterback's two-day freefall ended Saturday when the Oakland Raiders took Cook with the 100th pick of the draft in the fourth round.

Considered by some analysts as the best physical talent in the draft, Cook was the seventh quarterback taken.

“I think I’m one of the best quarterbacks in this draft class, but nothing is ever easy and nothing is ever perfect. Everything that I’ve been able to accomplish at Michigan State is never easy,” Cook told reporters. “Going on to the NFL, it’s definitely going to get a little bit harder and more difficult. It’s definitely not going to be easy.

“Obviously, seeing all the other quarterbacks go, it hurt, but I’m just ready to be a Raider and ready to get to business.”

Cook is the third Spartan selected in this year's draft. Offensive tackle Jack Conklin went No. 8 overall to Tennessee in Thursday's first round, and defensive end Shilique Calhoun went No. 75 overall to Oakland in Friday's third round.

“I’m just happy to be a Raider. I’m looking forward to it,” Cook said. “Being out in California is a little better than Ohio weather-wise.”

Cook’s draft drop resembled that of former MSU star Kirk Cousins, who was projected as a potential second-round pick in 2012 before falling to Washington in the fourth round. The Redskins made Robert Griffin III the No. 1 overall pick earlier in that year’s draft.

ESPN analysts like Oakland Raiders' pick of MSU's Connor Cook

After Cousins shuffled between backup and starter with Griffin’s injuries during their first few seasons, Cousins eventually became Washington’s full-time starter last season and led his team to the NFC Playoffs. He got the franchise tag and a nearly $20 million contract for next season. Griffin was released and eventually signed with Cleveland.

“You asked me the same question when Kirk Cousins was drafted in the same exact draft as RGIII,” NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock told host Rich Eisen. “Understand (Cook) is a fourth-round pick. That’s the guy we’re comparing him too, we’re comparing him to Kirk Cousins. That’s who we think he can be.”

ESPN’s Todd McShay, one of Cook’s biggest critics leading up to the draft, compared Cook’s situation to that of Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron. Despite winning back-to-back college national titles at Alabama, McCarron slipped to the fifth round in 2014 and has been Andy Dalton’s backup in Cincinnati. When Dalton got hurt late last season, McCarron took over and led the Bengals to the playoffs.

“It’s a lot of motivation,” Cook said. “I would say more motivation than anything. Like you said, seeing all the other quarterbacks go when you think you’re a pretty good quarterback, it just motivates you. I’m going to go into this league with a chip on my shoulder and try to earn everything that I achieve.”

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Cook won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was the Big Ten Quarterback of the Year in 2015, also earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. He finished his three-year starting career as MSU’s winningest quarterback with a 34-5 record and went 21-2 in Big Ten regular-season games. That included two Big Ten championships and victories in the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl.

The 6-foot-4, 217-pounder from Hinckley, Ohio, also broke a number of school records, including passing yards (9,194), touchdown passes (71) and total offense (9,403 yards).

“I don’t think you can win that many games and be that successful at a program without being a leader,” Cook said.

Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL Network analyst, also said Cook’s college resume resembles McCarron’s at Alabama.

“Both of these guys are from powerhouse college programs. Big winners – they get a lot of credit for that,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said of Cook and McCarron. “They both love to hang in the pocket, big, strong, pocket passers. And there was a little bit of a personality question about AJ McCarron when he came out. You get some of the same questions about Connor Cook.”

Cook was one of the most polarizing prospects in the draft. He was the top prospect left on the board after the first 98 picks in the first three rounds before Oakland traded up to take him with the second pick of Saturday’s Round 4.

“I think the ball placement needs to improve. He was low and away some – he’s like a pitcher trying to hit the corners. With a quarterback, you don’t always want to do that,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. “But not being a team captain, is he a galvanizing leader? That is the reason – the lack of great intangibles – why he’s there at the start of the fourth round and why he wasn’t a guaranteed first-round draft choice.”

In Oakland, Cook will be behind starter Derek Carr – a second-round pick in 2014 – in Jack Del Rio’s offense. Carr threw for 3,987 yards and and 32 touchdowns with 13 interceptions in 2015, completing while 61.1 percent of his passes.

Cook has worked with Del Rio’s son, Luke, at George Whitfield’s Quarterback Academy in San Diego. Luke Del Rio started will be a junior at Florida this fall after starting his college career at Oregon State.

ESPN analyst and former Raiders coach Jon Gruden said before the draft that Cook could be the best quarterback in the draft and, in hindsight, hinted at a potential marriage with Oakland by saying, “My old boss Al Davis would have loved Connor Cook.”

MSU coach Mark Dantonio tweeted after Cook was selected: “NFL ready. Time to go to work. I believe in you!”

“Connor comes from the same system as Kirk Cousins, so he has a solid foundation in a pro-style offense,” Dantonio said in a release. “He’s a quick study, so it won’t take him long to master the offense. Connor won’t be nervous. He will prove himself under center and earn the respect of his teammates. I’m sure the Oakland Raiders are very excited to have him.”

Cook is the 11th Spartan quarterback selected in the draft. Earl Morrall was taken by the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 2 pick in 1956, the only MSU quarterback drafted in the opening round.

Cousins, Brian Hoyer, Drew Stanton and Nick Foles are former MSU quarterbacks currently in the NFL.

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