In 2012, Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins was a fourth-round draft pick of Washington. Eventually, Cousins worked his way past the team’s No. 1 pick that year, Robert Griffin III , to win the team’s starting job.
Four years later, fellow Spartan Connor Cook was a fourth-round selection by Oakland, and his former teammate cheered his entry into the NFL.
“The cream always rises to the top,” tweeted Cousins to Cook. “Excited for your future! Go Green! – Fellow 4th Rounder.”
But as the Raiders head toward the start of training camp in late July, Cook will enter competition as the team’s No. 3 quarterback behind starter Derek Carr and No. 2 Matt McGloin, who’ll be entering his fourth season with the team.
The duel between McGloin and Cook to be Carr’s primary backup could prove to be one of the more interesting in this year’s training camp.
McGloin is a gritty survivor, having evolved from a walk-on at Penn State to an undrafted NFL free agent who became a starter as a rookie in 2013. He’s no threat to unseat Carr as No. 1, but he’s been a capable backup. In 10 games over three seasons, McGloin has completed 153 of 262 throws (58.4 percent) for 1,818 yards, 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
But by selecting Cook – a talent that general manager Reggie McKenzie said was too good to let pass – the Raiders have added some depth and young upside to the quarterback position. If Carr should go down in 2016 with an injury, Oakland will be in much better position.
McKenzie, in a recent meeting of Raiders season ticket holders, said he likes what both Cook and McGloin bring to the team.
“Let me tell you, with our quarterback situation for one, we feel really good about our starter, we’ve had McGloin in here for three years now and he’s proven he can be a backup, but we had a chance to get this rookie, Connor Cook in here and we’re really excited to have him. We feel like we have three quarterbacks who can go out there and play the game. … We feel like we’re pretty strong at that position.”
At some points during offseason practices, Cook took snaps with the second team while McGloin practiced with the third team, but McGloin goes into camp at No. 2.
McGloin has faced challenges before, most recently beating out veteran Christian Ponder in 2015. He knows he can’t rest on what he’s done before.
“I have to continue to impress them and get better,” McGloin said. “I need to show (coaches) that while I can be a backup, I can be a capable starter one day as well.”
Cook, who slipped into the third day of the draft after some projected he could be a second-day pick, said he’s determined to prove doubters wrong.
“It’s a lot of motivation,” he told reporters after joining the Raiders. “I would say more motivation than anything. … Seeing all the other quarterbacks go when you think you’re a pretty good quarterback, it just motivates you. I’m going to go into this league with a chip on my shoulder and try to earn everything that I can achieve.”
