Oakland Raiders: Connor Cook Will Be Good for Derek Carr

The Oakland Raiders’ pick of Connor Cook in the fourth round of the NFL Draft may seem threatening to Derek Carr. But he will help Carr as he continues to develop.

Some projected former Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook as a late first round or early second round draft pick, but the Oakland Raiders managed to grab him at the beginning of the fourth round after trading up to pick 100. This seems like an interesting choice for a team with a young talented quarterback in Derek Carr, but taking another talented passer will do nothing but help Carr as he continues to develop.

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Derek Carr is coming off of a great second NFL season, including an appearance in his first career Pro Bowl. Carr’s 53 touchdown passes through the first two years of his career are the second-most in NFL history, behind only Dan Marino‘s 68. All signs point towards Carr becoming one of the league’s star quarterbacks in the coming years, so Oakland trading up to take a quarterback some have graded as an immediate starter seems a bit strange.

Cook was a three-year starter at Michigan State who finished his career with an excellent 34-5 record as a starter. He has the size, confidence, and poise to be a starting quarterback week-in and week-out through the grind of a long season. He can make the throws needed and knows how to both master an offense and read a defense. The main knock on Cook has been the question of leadership. He wasn’t a team captain despite being a four-year stater and some have argued that he was never a good leader. Physically though, he has the tools needed to be a good NFL passer.

I personally liked Cook to go to the Denver Broncos and possibly become their immediate starter in his rookie season or to Dallas and be groomed as the starter behind Tony Romo for a few years. Instead he’s going to Oakland where it looks like he’ll be stuck in a backup role for the foreseeable future. I think that’s a great scenario for both him and Raiders starter Derek Carr.

If Connor Cook wants to answer questions about his leadership and character, he needs to do that by showing he can be a helpful backup quarterback. Being a part of the team’s plan and working hard in the quarterback room to help the team win will go a long way towards quieting his critics. Getting a chance to learn from a talented, upstanding, strong leader in Derek Carr is a great situation for Cook to be in.

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The fact that the Raiders traded up to take a good quarterback in the fourth round will also be a driving factor for Derek Carr. Cook will be the proverbial dog at Carr’s heels. We see it every year, players show the promise of emerging into a star but then stop developing and level out in terms of talent and production. Now Carr can’t afford to do that, because their is a legitimate starter candidate standing over on the sideline ready to throw on a helmet.

Look at the last Michigan State quarterback taken in the NFL Draft, Kirk Cousins. Cousins was drafted a few rounds behind Robert Griffin III, clearly as the team’s backup. He worked hard though, and RGIII failed to continue to produce and Cousins passed him on the depth chart. Carr has to be looking towards the nation’s capital to see his own potential future if he doesn’t continue to work hard to improve.

Cook also offers three years of experience as a starter in a pro-style offense. He knows what it takes to gameplan week-in and week-out and will be a key asset in the quarterback room when Carr and Todd Downing are getting ready for their coming opponent. Cook also offers an ability to throw the deep ball, something Carr struggled to do in 2015. Perhaps the rookie can help the starter get the ball down the field more accurately.

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I’m sure Derek Carr was initially a little nervous when Cook was picked, but he has to know the starting job is his to lose. Oakland hasn’t had a Pro-Bowl quarterback since 2002, so they are certainly all-in with Carr. Cook will drive him to get better though, and should have some help of his own to offer. Good job by the Raiders and congratulations to Connor Cook.