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Former Michigan State Spartans quarterback Connor Cook has made headlines at the NFL Draft, sometimes for the wrong reasons. Many have questioned his leadership abilities because he wasn't voted a team captain as a senior, among other things.
But in a podcast with Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman, former Spartans offensive lineman Jack Conklin, who is also gearing up for the draft, says there is no reason to doubt Cook:
"I think it's people reading him wrong," he says.
Conklin explains that Michigan State votes 12 players as "Eagles," and from those, just three are voted captains. Cook was voted an Eagle, and Conklin says that the team had so many leaders that any of them could have been captains. In fact, he adds that Cook did serve as a fourth captain twice during the 2015 season.
"I think it's people trying to read into things that are not there," he says. "He's been our starting quarterback for three years. He is a leader."