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4th) Connor Cook, JR Michigan St
Attributes – 6’4, 220, 4.85
Bears spin – Sort of the anti-Cutler. Cook reads defenses well and makes the smart throw most of the time. MSU has a run-first offense (sort of the anti-Bears), but when he has to Cook has shown the ability to air it out and win games with his arm. Cook is inevitably going to be classified as a “game-manager” when the draft rolls around, but that’s what his coaches ask him to do. I think he can be more than that and after 5 frustrating years of Cutler, a QB who plays it safe doesn’t sound like the worst thing.
Scouting report – Has good height, but is slow which may drop him a bit since the dual-threat QBs are still popular despite only 1 of them winning a super bowl recently (Russell Wilson). Cook has a good enough arm to make all the NFL throwns, but isn’t going to wow anyone with his velocity. What he can do is view the field well, go through his progressions, and throw an accurate pass to the open man. It sounds simple, but as we’ve seen from about half the teams in the NFL it’s a rare talent. Cook has shown some issues making the right read under heavy pressure, but with a decent line in front of him I think Cook can be a productive NFL QB.
NFL comparison – Andy Dalton
Projection – Late 2nd / early 3rd
5.) Sean Mannion, SR Oregon St
Attributes – 6’5, 220, 4.8
Bears spin – Three year co-captain and starter who has shown good leadership skills and displays a competitive fire which is the opposite of our current QB. Mannion is a pure pocket passes who throws a picturesque deep ball that could take advantage of the Bears trio of really tall receivers. That’s assuming of course that we have a coach who is willing to throw anything other than screen passes.
Scouting report – In 2013 Mannion had Brandin Cooks and a solid offensive line which led to a 4,662 yard, 37 TD season. This year Cooks is gone and his O-line is terrible and Mannion has struggled considerably. Occasionally, like against top-10 ASU last week, Mannion shows flashes of being a dominant drop back passer with a feathery touch and sound decision making ability. Mannion has prototypical size, has played in a pro-style offense for 3 years, and has shown the ability to look off safeties and go through his progressions. The downside is that he’s not mobile at all and throws off his back foot when pressured like Cutler has a tendency to do. Mannion would probably have been a 2nd-3rd round pick had he come out last year, but his poor supporting cast this year may drop him a round or two and give the Bears a steal in the 4th round.
NFL Comparison – Somewhere between Joe Flacco & Derek Anderson.
Projection – 4th round
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6.) Shane Carden, SR East Carolina
Attributes – 6’2, 225, 4.7
Bears Spin – A gunslinger who reminds me of a mix between Matt Stafford and Brett Favre at times. Carden has plenty of flaws and technique issues, but could provide excitement off the bench should something happen to Cutler and has the potential to develop into a top 15 starter if things break right.
Scouting report – Runs a spread, quick pass offense exclusively out of the shotgun so it’s hard to tell how his skills would translate in a pro-style offense. Carden has some issues with a sidearm / 3-quarter delivery and with forcing passes into tight windows, but when he’s on… Carden is awesome. He led the NCAA with a 71% completion percentage in 2013 and goes on stretches where everything he throws is on target. Despite playing with a talent deficient East Carolina squad, Carden threw for 865 yards and 7 TDs in two upset wins over North Carolina and Virginia Tech this season (he also rushed for 3 TDs). The odds of Carden being able to transition from a spread offense, fix his sidearm/3 quarter technique, and adjust to the huge talent gap from the American conference to the NFL are slim, but Carden is fun to watch, has the guts of a burglar, and is with a dice roll worth a 3rd-4th round pick.
NFL comparison – Tony Romo
Projection – 4th round