Raiders trade up to draft QB Connor Cook at No. 100
Though Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie drafted his team's quarterback of the foreseeable future a couple of years ago in Derek Carr, McKenzie clearly learned a thing or two from his time in Green Bay. In this case: there's no harm in having extra quarterbacks.
So on Saturday, as the final four rounds of the draft began and Michigan State QB Connor Cook was still available, McKenzie swung a trade with the Cleveland Browns to move up 14 spots and take Cook at No. 100.
By moving into that spot, the Raiders jumped over the Dallas Cowboys; on the NFL Network broadcast, Ian Rapoport said teams in the top of the fourth round believed the Cowboys were targeting Cook at No. 101 as a backup to (and possible replacement to?) the aging Tony Romo.
It's a credit to McKenzie and the team he's building in Oakland that they are at a point where they can make luxury picks like Cook, who has the makings of a solid NFL quarterback on the field but who raised eyebrows last year when he wasn't picked as a team captain, an oddity for a senior starting quarterback.
An experienced pocket passer, Cook will likely serve as Carr's backup for a couple of years, but if he develops, the Raiders could flip him to another team in the future.
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