Draft Profile: Chris Cook

NAME – Chris Cook

Position – Cornerback/Free Safety

College – Virginia.

Status – Red-shirt senior.

Size/Weight – 6-2, 212 pounds.

Important numbers – 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 7 reps on bench press, 38-inch vertical jump, 11-foot broad jump.

Age – 23.

Honors – Selected team captain ‘09.

College career – An athletically gifted player, Cook has a checkered career with the Cavaliers. A broken leg in ‘05 cost him seven games. He lost three games in the ‘07 season due to a sprained knee and then he was suspended for the Gator Bowl for academic reasons; that suspension continued through the entire ‘08 season. He came back for the ‘09 season and had 40 total tackles and four interceptions.

Stats of note – 37 games/31 starts … 143 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss … 7 INTs, including one returned 30 yards for a TD, 19 passes broken up … 1 forced fumble, 1 recovered fumble, returned 44 yards for a TD.

STRENGTHS – Big package for a cornerback, he has the athletic skills to pull it off … quick hands and has enough strength to give a good bump on press coverage at the line of scrimmage … does a good job of reading the passer … hustles and makes plays downfield because of that effort.

WEAKNESSES – Inconsistent as an open-field tackler and frequently drops his head and misses his man … does not have a second gear to make up ground when beaten … some scouts question his toughness … has tough time with quicker receivers.

THE RIGHT 53? – Cook has had plenty of opportunities to quit, given his injuries and then his academic problems. That he continued to play and had a good senior season is something NFL teams will notice. Whether it’s enough to overcome his problems, we won’t know until the second day of the Draft.

What he said (about his academic suspension for the ‘08 season) – “I was just not doing what I was supposed to, not taking advantage of everything I had,” Cook said this week. “I wish it would have happened different, but you can’t change it, so I’ve got to live and learn.”

End game – Skill set and his size make him an object of desire for some NFL defenses. He may also be able to make the move to safety, although that transition would not be something that would happen overnight.

ON THE CHIEFS LIST? – Doubtful, given his resume and position. If he would last until fourth or fifth-round, he might come under consideration.