Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Personnel, Glenn Cook (4.25.25)

Opening statement:

“So obviously with the move down yesterday, we felt like we were in a pretty strong position coming into today, adding an additional pick on top of what we had yesterday. So we felt like, and I think Andrew (Berry) has addressed this, just being really intentional about adding impact players, guys who affect the short term and the long term. So, we feel like we added two guys that do that, two different stories. Quinshon (Judkins), he transferred up here into Buckeye County, Buckeye State. He brings the brand of football that we want, AFC North ‘back. Exceptionally strong, physical, tough, productive three-down guy. I know Duce (Staley) is extremely excited, wanted to drive down and pick him up tonight. And then Carson (Schwesinger), I mean, you talk about a guy who was walk-on, and not only a walk-on, but really a one-year starter, started three games into the season and just took off. And extremely productive, extremely smart, very versatile, kind of fits exactly the identity we want on defense. So, for us it was really about maximizing these picks. You know, obviously I’m sure you guys will ask about trades and whatnot, and you guys know Andrew, he’s going to take calls. There’s opportunities on the table, but we felt like it was best to sit. So, with that, I’ll open it up.”

 

Why did you guys decide to go Quinshon over TreVeyon Henderson?

“Yeah, we work through the process, evaluate the players and just really excited about his skill set and how he fits into what we want to do. Like I mentioned, he’s very, very tough, very physical, very strong and he just plays the brand of ball that we want. So, you know, look, both those guys are really talented, for us it just came down to preference in this option.”

 

With uncertainty at certain positions, how much does that play a role in the decision?

“I wouldn’t say it played a significant amount. You know, it really came down to just the value of the player. And it’s funny, I was thinking about it myself, given our track record, quote unquote, in which people may think we think about positional value, to walk away with a running back and a linebacker, you might be surprised. But again, it’s really about maximizing the impact of the players as opposed to just targeting positions.”

 

You guys now have three Big Ten players, do you place a value on big school athletes?

“You know, I think you take it on a case-by-case basis, you evaluate the player. There’s talent all across the country. We trust our scouts to do the work. They really put a lot of work in. We can’t say enough about how much time they put into going across the country, and that’s just scouring every inch of this land. So, I wouldn’t say it’s really specific to big school, small school. It’s really taking about a case-by-case basis and trusting your process.”

 

Glenn, I know you said a little bit ago just the differences between Quinshon and TreVeyon, but was there one specific trait that separated Quinshon and TreVeyon?

“Yeah, I don’t want to make it a TreVeyon versus Quinshon, I was really answering the question. You know, for us, it’s really just feeling good about what Quinshon brings to our offense. You obviously know what we’ll probably transition to. So just his style of ball, the way he plays. Again, I want to focus mostly on him and not to make it an ‘A versus B’ or comparison conversation. So, I wouldn’t say that’s the emphasis of the decision.”

 

Glenn, with both of these kids, do you view them as guys that’ll step on the field and contribute immediately?

“Well, you know, these guys all develop at different paces. Like I said, it’s a little bit about making sure we impact the long term just as much as the short term. So, we won’t withhold their opportunity to step on the field if they’re ready. So really, it’ll just come down to how they progress and, you know, we’re not going to put pressure on them to show up day one and be excellent. It’s really about the long-term focus. But of course, if they come in and Quinshon can carry it 30 times, we’re not going to prevent him from touching the football.”

 

I know your linebackers have to play every position. Do you see Schwesinger filling a specific role immediately? 

“I mean, we’ll see. Kind of similar to that, I think if you were to ask what the vision potentially could be, I mean, he’s a really smart kid, exceptionally great football IQ. I have no questions about his ability to be the green dot, if that’s what we need from him. You know, really it’s up to Coach (Jim) Schwartz and (Jason) Tarver and their group to figure out where to best deploy him and kind of get the best around the field. Obviously, we still have Jordan (Hicks), who’s a strong vet for our team, a really great leader. So really, it’s about getting the best combo out there. So, if it’s him playing SAM, WILL, you know, coming in at nickel, whatever we need him to do. You know, he’s got a ton of versatility. That’s probably what excited us about him so that’s probably how we’ll approach him.”

 

Quinshon chose to transfer and stay in school rather than come out last year. Is his evaluation different at all?

“In terms of?”

 

He produced in the SEC, but then he went and played in a totally different offense?

“So, yeah, I mean, it’s possible. You know, it’s possible. I think it’s a credit to him that he could have come out. He put up some really big numbers at Ole Miss and honestly came and shared carries with another really good player. So, you know, credit to him for being a part of that. And obviously he probably wanted to win too, and they had a really great team, so it only added to, you know, the positives about him as opposed to anything else.”

 

Does the transfer portal make it more challenging to scout these guys? 

“I think it does add a different dynamic, right. Because, you know, and I’m not that old, but if you say back in the day, most kids stayed at their school for three years at minimum, and the people that they were around every day really got to ingratiate themselves into who this individual was. Saw the progression from freshman year to junior year, potentially senior year. And now you’re possibly having a guy who’s transferred twice and not for any other reason than maybe NIL, right. So it’s put a little bit of a different weight on our scouts and people who reach out and do diligence on the individuals and trying to really piece together who we think they are. Because now you’re kind of mapping across different terrains as it relates to the individual, because he’s only been in one place, maybe, you know, sometimes not even a full season or a full year. So it does add a different element. But, you know, we’ve worked through it. I think all teams have probably faced a similar challenge, and we’ve probably had to learn a little bit from some other sports in terms of how they’ve approached potentially like the one-year thing in the NBA and whatnot. So, it has been an interesting element, but nothing that I don’t think we’ve been able to maneuver with.”

 

With Carson (Schwesinger), his trajectory from, you know, being a starter last year and just the amount of workload he’s taken on how does that shape the scouting that you do from him with that increased workload and just kind of like that last season for him? 

“Yeah, it’s definitely a unique evaluation. It’s really…call it nine full plus games because he didn’t start off the season, but when you have a guy like him who just produces – if you look at the production raw and somewhat more advanced, like he was just so productive even in his opportunities. There is potentially even more meat on the bone in terms of his development. We’re excited about that. He’s 22 years old. He’s probably got some room to grow, and there’s obviously still things he can improve at, but ultimately what he did show made us really excited about what he could do for our defense.”

 

Just two things with (Carson) Schwesinger, how much does his value on special teams, because he played dead a lot his first couple years at UCLA, kind of up his value and it seems like he’s a high IQ player too, with the ability to read and react quickly. 

“So, yeah, like I said, really smart. I don’t think we will have any concerns about his ability to pick up a playbook and potentially direct a defense or just play multiple roles if we need him to. And yeah, when you think about the changes to the kickoff and probably seeing more of those plays and just I think having more guys who can do more things and be core players on special teams, especially at a position like his. Your backers, if they’re not on the field on defense, you definitely would love to have them be a part of your core. He’s definitely got all the makeup, the physical talent to do that as well.”

 

With Quinshon (Judkins), what allowed him to be so productive from a scoring standpoint? It was 45 touchdowns. And then do you see him as a guy that can be on the field for all three downs? 

“Yeah, I think it’s probably a little bit of a utilization thing. I mean, he’s so big, he’s so strong. You think about when you get down to the goal line, you know, the field shrinks, and you want a guy who can honestly just power through tackles and change the line of scrimmage on his own. Sometimes you just can’t block it perfectly. The defense tries to tighten up. So, I think that’s a component to it. And also, he’s just really talented. Like you talk about a kid, he’s 5-11, 220, squats over 600 pounds, runs under 4.5. Honestly, he’s just a very gifted individual. I can’t really tell you how he does it all the time, you know. So, I think that’s just things that we’re excited about. Like I said, you guys know we’re playing in a division where there’s some really good defenses that we’re going to face, and their mantra is to stop the run game and get after the quarterback. So, when you can have someone who can be just as physical as the guys he’s going against, it only helps.”

 

With Quinshon (Judkins) again, what about his ability to catch passes out of the backfield and get involved in that aspect of the game? What did you guys see in that and what do you envision? 

“Yeah, I think we envisioned him probably having to develop a little bit in that area but more so just given the opportunities he had. He’s definitely capable of catching the football, producing after the catch, he’s just not been used much in that phase. Look, none of these guys that we draft are ready made – complete, I should say, players. And so that’s probably one area he has developed. But we definitely saw the potential and the ability to do so. That will only add to his ability to help us on all three downs.”

 

Your top two picks are defense and they’re pretty premeditated. We know the trade started two weeks ago, the trade down, and now you had all night to meditate on this pick. So how do you explain to people with the worst offense in the league last year that you went defense, defense? 

“Yeah, I think Tony (Grossi), like I mentioned, it’s about really making sure we maximize the impact to the team. And I understand your question, but we felt like these two guys in terms of our long-term goal to build a competitive team consistently were the best choices. So, I think – look, we still have two picks today, four picks in day three. There are still opportunities, there are still players to select on both sides of the ball that will help us be better and contribute and produce. So, I wouldn’t say just because we took two defensive players today that we’re not going to try to target players on the other side of the ball or that we’re not aware of some potential things we need to add to our team. I would just put it that way.”

 

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