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2016 NFL Draft: Those who know Walsh Jesuit graduate Connor Cook defend him while his leadership, character is questioned

The absence of a high-profile, lighting-rod quarterback like Johnny Manziel or Jameis Winston in this week’s NFL Draft has contributed to Walsh Jesuit High School graduate Connor Cook becoming a poster boy for controversy.

Manziel was dissected during the pre-draft process two years ago because of his hard-partying lifestyle. Winston’s character was questioned at every turn last year amid rape allegations.

Cook, by all accounts, is a saint compared with them, yet he finds himself under a similar microscope because he was never elected a full-time captain at Michigan State, not even last year as a fifth-year senior.