The Detroit Lions don’t need a starting quarterback, as Jared Goff is coming off a fantastic 2024 campaign and is under contract until 2029. However, the team could look to add another player to the position group through the draft to compete for the backup job with Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen.
If the Lions decide to select a quarterback in the draft, they shouldn’t use a premium pick, which is why Pro Football Network’s Reese Decker predicts general manager Brad Holmes will take a flyer on Missouri signal-caller Brady Cook in the seventh round.
Here’s some insight on Cook from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:
Tantalizing prospect thanks to his athleticism and arm talent but the more I studied, the more doubt creeped in. Cook played with a better command of the offense in 2023, which led to better in-game rhythm and results. He can make every NFL throw but struggles to make them with consistent timing and accuracy. Cook needs to improve his eye discipline to keep windows open and safeties out of his business. He’s an average decision-maker and field-reader who defaults to unsound passing platforms when he feels pressure. He has the size and mobility to make plays as a scrambler and with designed runs. Cook’s physical traits and athletic ability are worth a discussion as a developmental prospect.
Cook started three seasons at Missouri, with his most productive campaign coming in 2023, where he tossed 21 touchdowns to just six interceptions and added eight touchdowns on the ground.
Cook’s athleticism is his best selling point to NFL teams, as he ran a 4.59 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and showcased his dynamic skillset during his collegiate career. The 23-year-old has also shown some promise as a passer but has never been a consistent difference-maker in that area.
Selecting Cook in Round 7 to compete for the backup quarterback role with Hooker and Allen and be a developmental project behind Goff would be a decent investment from Detroit. The St. Louis native will likely never be a consistent starter at the next level, but the Lions already have a deep roster and an established starting quarterback, so using a seventh-round pick on a project signal-caller like Cook would be an understandable move.
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