2017: Connor Cook, Oakland Raiders
Talk about a roller-coaster year: Connor Cook went from leading his college team (Michigan State) to the first-ever College Football Playoffs, to falling to the fourth round of the NFL Draft amidst character concerns, to becoming the first quarterback in the history of the NFL to make his professional debut in a postseason game. After the Oakland Raiders lost Derek Carr and even backup Matt McGloin to injuries, Cook had to start in the Raiders’ Wild Card game against the Houston Texans. In said match up, he looked every bit like a rookie, completing only 18 of his 45 passing attempts, for 161 yards and three interceptions. He had one late touchdown pass to help pad his stats, but that came when the Raiders were already trailing by 20 points midway through the fourth quarter.