South Carolina Football's Greatest NFL Draft Hidden Gems:
No. 3 Tight End Jared Cook
Jared Cook (Round 3, Pick 89; Tennessee Titans; 2006 NFL Draft) finished his NFL career as one of the least-heralded elite tight ends in the history of the league.
Remarkably consistent, Cook played for 13 seasons and put up at least 500 yards in 9 of those seasons. Of the four years he didn't, he was only the primary starter in one of them. Never a top-3 tight end in football, Cook was a top-10 player at the position for about a decade, splitting his time between the Tennessee Titans, St. Louis Rams, Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, New Orleans Saints, and Los Angeles Chargers.
Known as a big-time postseason player, Cook had a great run with the Green Bay Packers in the 2016 postseason in which he caught just under 250 yards worth of passes, 2 touchdowns, and had one of the most memorable 1st downs in recent memory against the Dallas Cowboys.
Cook's consistency and longevity pushed his career numbers to heights usually unheard of for 3rd round picks as he finished his playing days with the 13th-most yards of any tight end in history and 11th-most touchdowns of any player at the position.