Connor Cook arrived at the NFL Scouting Combine last month looking to prove he belonged in the conversation to be the first quarterback selected in the 2016 NFL Draft.
As far as the former Michigan State signal-caller is concerned, mission accomplished.
Cook laid out his case in a post he wrote for MMQB that was published Tuesday, a day ahead of MSU's pro day, when Cook will be on display for NFL teams again.
Cook cuts to the chase in his piece, addressing the questions about leadership that have dogged him throughout this draft season. He was never voted a team captain, despite being a highly decorated three-year starter, and he said some, but not all, teams broached the topic with him during combine interviews.
"I understood why they wanted to know," Cook wrote. "It is a big deal. I gave them an answer that I feel is truthful: I just didn't get the votes. Being a captain is a title, but nobody needs a title to lead. Not being a captain never hindered my ability to lead, and it never made me doubt myself. It did, however, make me want to work harder and be the best quarterback I can be.
"I felt like most teams really understood that, and I think they've moved past it. With that out of the way, I proved why I should be one of the first quarterbacks taken on April 28."
Of course, April 28 is the first day of the draft, when Round 1 -- and only Round 1 -- will be held.
Cook goes on to detail his combine experience and writes that he felt great about how he performed. He even mentions his throwing stats (19 of 21), and acknowledges he missed on a couple of throws.
However, NFL Media analyst and former scout Bucky Brooks didn't feel nearly as good about it. In fact, Brooks included Cook in his list of losers from the combine, writing that he "failed to seize the opportunity to separate himself from the pack of second-tier quarterbacks vying for the No. 3 position on draft boards around the league."
Cook fell nine spots to No. 40 in Brooks' post-combine rankings of the top 50 prospects in this year's draft. Brooks wrote in his series on draft floors and ceilings for prospects that Cook has a wide draft range that extends from the bottom of Round 1 to late in Round 3. NFL Media draft expert Mike Mayock ranks Cook as the draft's No. 4 QB -- a spot Cook occupied in Mayock's pre- and post-combine rankings.
While Cook's leadership ability has received great scrutiny, it could be questions about his on-field performance -- specifically his throwing accuracy -- that keep him from being picked as early as he believes he should be.
"The concern is that (Cook's) short and intermediate accuracy has never shown the improvement and consistency that scouts expected to see," NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his draft profile of Cook. "His inability to take over in big games this year could hurt his cause. Cook flashes the potential of an NFL starter, but he has the makeup of game manager over playmaker."
Wednesday's MSU pro day will be another opportunity for Cook to alleviate those lingering concerns, and it appears he has some work to do if he's going to alter his trajectory as a prospect.
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