default-cbs-image

After 35 years coaching at Walsh Jesuit High School in Ohio, Gerry Rardin is accustomed to NFL teams sending him forms seeking background information on prospects he coached. Earlier this month, though, something new happened. Rardin, who recently retired, got his first personal visit from a pro team when the Cleveland Browns stopped by to discuss Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook.

"They feel like Connor is going to be one of the more important guys in the draft, for sure," Rardin said.

While Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett battle at Ohio State, Christian Hackenberg regroups at Penn State, Trevone Boykin produces at TCU, Dak Prescott carries Mississippi State, and Cody Kessler thrives at USC, Cook may be the most NFL-ready quarterback in 2016. How did a three-star recruit with offers out of high school from Michigan State, Miami (Ohio) and Akron become so coveted?

"I don't know what it is about how Michigan State finds players," Cook said, "but they just do."

Cook could become Michigan State's third straight first-round player who was rated a three-star recruit or lower in high school. Since Cook took over Michigan State's offense in 2013, the Spartans have reached a new level. They struggled on offense during a 7-6 season in 2012, averaging 20 points per game (110th in the country). But they jumped to 29.4 points in 2013 (Cook's first season) and then 43 points in 2014 to rank seventh in the country.

Diamonds in the rough
Since 2012, seven Michigan State players who were rated as three-star or worse prospects got selected in the first four rounds of the NFL draft.
Player Stars Other college offers NFL draft round
CB Trae Waynes 2 Illinois, Iowa State, Wisconsin 1st
RB Jeremy Langford 3 Bowling Green, Colorado, Eastern Michigan, Illinois State 4th
CB Darqueze Dennard 2 Middle Tennessee, Utah State 1st
RB Le'Veon Bell 2 Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Marshall 2nd
DE Jerel Worthy 3 Akron, Cincinnati, Marshall, Nebraska, Ohio 2nd
QB Kirk Cousins 3 Colorado, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan 4th
WR Keshawn Martin 3 Illinois 4th

There's little doubt Cook could have been a high NFL pick last season. He decided to return for his senior season because of "unfinished business" from 2014, when Michigan State went 11-2, rallied to beat Baylor at the Cotton Bowl but failed to win the Big Ten. The two teams that beat Michigan State -- Ohio State and Oregon -- played for the national title.

"You know how close you were to beating a team like Oregon and then playing with Ohio State," Cook said. "It kind of stung."

Rardin believes Cook also returned because he knows he needs to improve so he can have a sustainable NFL career. Few people could have predicted several years ago how far Cook has climbed in the quarterback pedigree. Rardin said Cook had the skill set in high school to become an elite passer -- "he was a physical specimen who could throw the crap out of the ball" -- but Rardin questioned whether Cook would grasp more intricate offenses.

"Ours wasn't that intricate," Rardin said. "He did seem at times to struggle and he wasn't sure why he made throws. By his senior year, he was much, much better. After the first couple years (Cook was at college), I talked to the Michigan State staff and we'd share the same type of stories. 'Connor, why did you do that?' And he wasn't sure. But he'd always move on to the next play and let it flow off his back. The kid is so resilient. Gradually, he's gotten rid of all the question marks."

Connor Cook won over his teammates while impressing scouts in 2014. (USATSI)
Connor Cook won over his teammates while impressing scouts in 2014. (USATSI)

Cook, whose dad Chris played football at Indiana and sister played basketball at Old Dominion, offers blunt reasons on why he was lightly recruited. Rather than make excuses, Cook cites his 14 interceptions, nine touchdowns and barely over 1,000 passing yards as a junior.

"There's a reason there was a knock on me," Cook said. "I think schools are looking for guys that have the stats, have the arm strength. I didn't think my arm was all that strong. I wasn't making any kind of big-time throws, and they look for guys who win state championships and I wasn't doing that either. You can look at my highlight tape and I was pretty mediocre."

Cook doesn't put up gaudy statistics at Michigan State like quarterbacks who play in friendlier spread offenses. He knows he needs to improve his 58.1-percent completion rate by throwing more check-down passes instead of forcing a throw into a tight window or throwing too high on a deep pattern so as to avoid a closing cornerback.

"I can take less chances and play more sound football," he said. "I think I know when and when not to. I just hope this year I'm better and can correct myself."

Cook's size (6-foot-4, 220 pounds), knowledge of Michigan State's pro-style offense that he will probably run in the NFL and his ability to run make him coveted. If anything, Cook thinks he could have run more in 2014.

He throws behind such a talented offensive line -- the Spartans ranked fourth nationally in sacks allowed last year -- that there's still a question of how he will fare in the NFL when facing constant pressure. This spring, Cook spent time again with quarterback guru George Whitfield to work on his footwork, throwing on the run and handling chaos in the pocket.

"Obviously, I want to keep my body healthy," Cook said. "It's all instinct (whether to run). If I've got to run, I've got to pull the trigger and do it. I feel like I should have done it more last year, and just watching film there were so many times where I could have dumped it off to (running back) Jeremy Langford when guys were deep in coverage or I could have just taken off myself."

There's another side to Cook; he's loose and prone to make jokes. He likes to initiate incoming recruits by making up play calls in the huddle. Rardin is not surprised to hear Cook's exploits at Michigan State after witnessing his energy in high school.

"Every single day he was smiling, hopping around," Rardin said. "I thought, jeez, what do you do, drink 18 sport drinks? Where does this kid get all the energy? I'm a pretty sarcastic guy, and Connor would just crack me up. He was just so loose. He'd do goofy things, but when it got down to it he was a worker."

In Cook's last high school game, Rardin was furious that his quarterback wasn't going through his proper passing reads. Cook kept throwing the ball to a teammate who was several catches away from setting the school single-season record.

"Connor said, 'I want him to have the record.' I said, ‘Holy cow, I don't care about the record,' " Rardin said. "Then we got a couple touchdowns up and I said go ahead. He'd do stuff like that that's sort of off the wall, but he wasn't putting the team in jeopardy or anything."

Cook is also smart enough to avoid answering unanswerable questions. At Big Ten media days in July, a reporter asked Cook if he would win the starting job at Ohio State. "I'm not going to answer that," Cook replied matter-of-factly, turning his head to another direction.

Cook didn't say it but you wondered if this reply crossed through his mind: "Would Cardale Jones or J.T. Barrett win the starting job at Michigan State?" The best college quarterback in the country may be a once unheralded recruit who's now within reach of getting the keys to an NFL franchise.

Follow and read more from Jon Solomon on Facebook and Twitter.