BEREA: Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook’s slide in the NFL Draft ended Saturday when the Browns traded the second pick of the fourth round (No. 100 overall) and the Oakland Raiders used it on the Hinckley native.
Cook became the first Walsh Jesuit High School graduate to be drafted since the Pittsburgh Steelers picked former All-Pro linebacker Mike Vrabel in the third round (No. 91 overall) in 1997.
Texas A&M punter and Walsh Jesuit graduate Drew Kaser was selected later Saturday when the San Diego Chargers used a sixth-round pick (No. 179 overall) on the Strongsville native.
Cook is the first quarterback from Walsh to be chosen.
But the draft didn’t pan out the way he had hoped. The vast majority of draft analysts rated him the fourth-best quarterback in this class and projected him as a first- or second-round selection, though Cook watched six quarterbacks go off the board before him and lasted until the third and final day of the draft.
He grew up a Browns fan and would have loved to play for them, but they repeatedly passed on him and took Southern California quarterback Cody Kessler in the third round (No. 93 overall) Friday night. The Browns opened the fourth round by picking Wisconsin linebacker Joe Schobert 99th overall, then traded the selection (No. 100) the Raiders would use on Cook in exchange for choices in the fourth (No. 114) and fifth (No. 154) rounds.
Doubts about Cook’s character must have harmed his draft status. The NFL scouting community picked him apart during the pre-draft process because his teammates at Michigan State did not elect him a full-time captain as a senior. Browns coach Hue Jackson said in March at the NFL owners meetings he would like to know why Cook wasn’t a permanent captain.
Despite questions about Cook’s leadership ability, ESPN analyst and Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden endorsed him.
“He’s going to be, I think, perhaps the best quarterback in this year’s draft,” Gruden said on the network three weeks ago.
The 6-foot-4, 217-pound Cook is the winningest quarterback in Michigan State history with a record of 34-5 as a starter. In his four collegiate seasons, he completed 57.5 percent of his passes (673 of 1,170) for 9,194 yards with 71 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.
Duke kicker Ross Martin, also a Walsh Jesuit graduate, went undrafted but said he has signed with New York Jets as a free agent. Adam Redmond, another Walsh Jesuit graduate and a former Harvard offensive lineman, signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent.