Connor Cook selected by the Oakland Raiders in the 2016 NFL Draft

After all the discussion and debate over his leadership skills, Connor Cook has been drafted by Oakland in the 4th round. While Cleveland had the second pick of the 4th round they ended up trading up to grab Cook.

Spartan fans never expected for Cook to fall this low but the real shock is that he ended up being the 7th QB selected. Many thought he was the 3rd or 4th best QB in the draft but after the NY Jets took Christian Hackenberg 51st. Then the Patriots and Browns took QBs in end of the third round

Connor Cook was a starter for Michigan State for three years and was one of the most storied QB's in the school history. The 6'4", 217 pound QB led the Spartans to a 34-5 record, which included wins in the Rose Bowl, a come from behind victory over Baylor in the Cotton Bowl as well as two Big Ten title games over Iowa and Ohio State.

While the winning ability of Cook has been downplayed, the focus this year (more than any other player in the draft) was the questioning of his leadership abilities and maturity level. He never was accused of stealing seafood from a Meijer, or failing to pass a drug test. The incident that everyone points back to is the failure of his team to select the 3rd year starting QB as a captain for the 2015 season.

He has had teammates and pundits stick up for him in recent weeks. John Gruden believed he had the chance to be the best QB in the 2016 Draft, while Former Front Office Exec and ESPN analyst, Louis Riddick, believed Cook was a first round talent, but all that is over now.

Connor will now be headed to Oakland where he will sit behind Derek Carr and get some reps in the preseason and be reunited with Calhoun.