Assistant GM & Vice President of Player Personnel Glenn Cook (4.24.26)
Opening Statement:
“So really excited about the players we’ve added so far. I think Andrew (Berry) said this to you guys, but going into this offseason, I think he stated we would pretty heavily invest on this side of the football. So I think between some of our acquisitions in the offseason and then these first three picks, which, you know, not necessarily how we thought it would play out, it sort of just matches that theme. I think what’s beautiful about it is all three of these guys, it’s not something that we felt like we reached for. You know, we made the trade back with our first pick and showed a lot of patience with the next two and still got two really, really good players. So excited about the group. Still have a lot of work to do with two picks today as it sits right now and ready to go. With that, I’ll take questions.”
It’s kind of unusual to go back-to-back wide receivers. You guys had all night to think about this pick. Was he prominent all night?
“Yeah, I think it’s just like I said, as we took a step back when, as all teams do when the first-round ends and look at your board, it sort of just stuck out to us. Like I said, you know, we didn’t necessarily plan to take two receivers back-to-back, but we also couldn’t ignore value and again, wanted to make sure that we invested on offense, gave Todd (Monken) and the offensive coaches the resources they need to work with. And I mean, the two players not only fit that bill, but they complement each other and the room really, really well.”
Does it feel almost like stealing, getting Denzel Boston at that point?
“I mean, I wouldn’t say that, but we definitely are excited. Like I said, you know, we had to show patience because, you know, you just get antsy when you see a guy that you think has a ton of ability. You know, he’s big, he has great hands, very subtle, sneaky speed, and just really, really complements things that we have in that room right now. And you just have to exude some patience and allow it to come to you. So, we’re excited that we didn’t necessarily have to give up any resources to get a player of his caliber.”
What do these two picks say, Glenn, about the way you guys assessed the wide receiver room after 2025?
“Yeah, I think it doesn’t necessarily only speak to the room, but also just speaks to the two players. KC’s (Concepcion) really explosive. He’s really talented. We love what he can do with the football. Then Denzel, you know, almost 6′ 4, 215 – very physical, competitive and has great hands. So, I think it’s just as much about what we’re adding and we’re always talking about, you know, this is a team building exercise, not a player acquisition exercise. And we’re happy with the two skill sets that we added.”
Like you mentioned, with his size and the 50/50 ball ability that he has, like, how much are you guys hoping that he can be an immediate sort of red zone threat as a rookie?
“All these guys find their role at different times. What we think he has is a great foundation, and it’s those different skill sets that you spoke to but we just, you know, we trust Todd and Travis (Switzer) and the rest of the offensive staff, CJ (Christian Jones), in his room to put them in the right spot. And our biggest focus was like, “Hey, let’s give them as much talent, as much versatility and allow them to do their jobs.”
Can you kind of talk about how well rounded he is?
“Yeah, I think that’s a fair question. At the end of the day, we talk about this. We want to add competition, you know, so if you want to be one of the best offenses, a top tier offense in the NFL, you know, we want the cream to rise to the top. We definitely believe we have talent in the room. Jerry Jeudy is still a talented NFL player, but we’re also going to not be complacent and push ourselves to keep making sure that we have what we need to be the type of offense we want to.”
There were reports at the beginning of the night about the Browns talking about moving up in this round. If that’s true, was it for Boston or someone else?
“I mean, I can’t speak specifically about what you’re saying. I mean, there’s multiple conversations going on. I mean, we had conversations about every direction, you know, moving up, sitting still, moving back. So, I think that’s just a part of, you know, managing our position on the board and trying to get a feel for what’s happening in front of us and behind us. So, I mean, like I said, I don’t know specifically what you’re talking about, but yeah, I mean, we’re always on the phone. I probably have to go back up and get on the phone again. So that’s just a part of it, Tony (Grossi).”
What’s the collaboration like with Coach Monk? And we saw the video wanting a fist bump from Andrew after making the Boston pick. But you worked with Kevin (Stefanski) for six years and now you’re working with Todd, so just what’s that collaboration bit like?
“Yeah, I think Todd, as you all probably know, or getting a sense of, he’s very direct and he’s very clear about what he wants and what he needs. I think you have a good sense of how each skill set will fit into the system and the scheme. And so, throughout the process in the spring, just across all the receivers and a lot of the offensive players, you know, I thought our offensive coaches gave us a really good picture of one, what we needed and then also two, just as a respect to each player, how they would use them. And that just makes it a lot clearer for Andrew and just our staff as a group to walk into it saying, “Hey, if we take this player here or if we take this specific player, this is how they’re going to be deployed in our offense” and feel good about it. So, I think he gave us a good picture for both players, KC and Denzel.”
You’ve invested in receivers in other ways, through trade, but this is the highest this regime has taken -one receiver, let alone two. Was there something different philosophically or in the approach to this draft that led you to two receivers so high?
“Honestly, no. You know, one, you always step back and assess what you can do better within the job. So, yeah, you know, we definitely looked at just across all our picks, you know, and we do that every year. How can we be better, what do we miss, what did we hit on, etc. But some of it is one, we just had higher picks for the second year in a row. And then it’s also just the quality of the players that were sitting and looking at this spot. So, I wouldn’t say there was a wholesale change to how we approached it, but you definitely have to step back and assess yourself.”
Was Boston at all in the discussion at 24?
“I mean, I won’t. I’m not going to get into that. I don’t want to make it a KC versus Boston thing. What it is, we trusted the board. You know, we think a lot about Denzel’s talent and his ability. I think a lot of teams probably had him with the first-round grade or really high up. So, you know, we’re just excited that we had the chance to still get him where we were sitting at.”
Going through everything in the, you know, simulations of your board, you can try to predict as best you can, following your data and everything. But how surprised were you that Denzel felt you guys right there, and you get your two big wide receivers that are rated high back-to-back?
“I mean, to your point, you can simulate it as much as you can. And we do. I mean, we probably spent four plus hours going through a number of iterations, and you still don’t get through all of them, right. You still can’t 100% pinpoint how it’s going to play out. There’s probably a few picks in the first round that even with those number of iterations that we went through, you know, sort of caught us off guard. So we try to get as close as possible. And I think what it does help us do is have good answers to the test when they come. And so, hey, if we do get a scenario that’s within this ballpark, this is how we would play it out. And I think this is close to maybe one or two of them that we work through. We are just glad we got them.”
Did you ever envision being in a situation where you have KC and Denzel?
“Did we ever envision it? Sure. Yeah, I think we did envision it, you know, to tell you that we were very certain that it would happen, I don’t know that we could tell you that. But It’s definitely something you think about just in terms of how you build the team, how you build the roster. You know, when you get to pick 39, is this something you would do when you take two receivers back to back?”
What did you kind of deem from that engagement? To talk to him, to see his reaction to meeting?
“So it was pretty interesting because both he and KC were together. Now that I look back, both guys are sitting at dinner, and you’re getting to know the two different personalities and getting to understand who they are as humans and young men and so much about their life. And, I mean, Denzel’s academic, all Big Ten, an exceptional kid, loves the game and has a lot ahead in his future. Same thing with KC. Just hilarious, funny, a lot of, you know, a lot of energy, but also very competitive. And just when you spoke to football things, he definitely, flips a switch, and you love to see that about him. So looking back, like I said, to the question that was just asked, I couldn’t have envisioned that both players, as we sit there at dinner, would be on our roster. But it’s also a thing that I’m not mad about.”
Where was that dinner?
“It’s just our 30 visits. Yeah, so when we take them out to eat.”
We’ve been talking a lot about KC’s (Concepcion) ability on punt returns, but Denzel can also… I mean just how much, you know, did that kind of add value to him?
“It’s in the back of our minds. We know it, right? It’s an added luxury to have players who can, you know, with the constraints of the 53-man roster and the guys you can have active to have someone, especially with his dimensions and build to go back and fill punts like it. We’re definitely fortunate that he also can do that. Our focus is on his ability at receiver. Same thing with KC (Concepcion), but again it is an added bonus. I should have mentioned that earlier, but that’s a good point.”
Everyone assumed that offensive line, wide receiver in the first round were the top priorities and obviously that’s the direction you want. Now as Andrew Berry mentioned yesterday, he expects this to be a volume draft for you guys, wants to bring in a pretty good size rookie class. Do you feel like now you guys are in a spot where you can kind of start stacking the roster. You don’t necessarily have to maybe zero in on needs as much maybe as you might have in the first round?
“Yeah, I hope so. And also, I mean, I wouldn’t say we’re cornered into zero in on these as well with the first couple, you know, like again, we end up taking two receivers. But we have eight picks, I believe, and we have two more tonight at minimum. And I think it is an opportunity for us to just continue to add guys who will come in and compete in different roles on different sides on both sides of the football. So yeah, it was important for us not to move too many picks because we want the volume and we felt like we needed it. So we definitely are excited about the position that we’re in after having three picks in the top 50 and still with eight more to go. It’s pretty exciting.”
Glenn, when you guys hired Todd (Monken), when he first got here and he kind of talked to you about what his sort of vision was for the offense, not that you could predict what exactly was going to happen on Draft night, like you mentioned, but is this like pretty close to in terms of the resources you guys have used? What that kind of vision, what you guys thought that vision could be in terms of addressing the offensive line, addressing wide receivers?
“Sure. But I also think like the number one thing, and I think you guys may have heard him say this is there’s nothing getting in the way of winning. And I think he approaches coaching and calling the game that way. He will have two tight ends on the field, three tight ends on the field, four receivers, different packages. You know, run the quarterback, feed the guy who’s having a great game. I think Todd is so diverse in his approach and so open-minded when it comes to how to move the football down the field and score points, because at the end of the day, that’s what we’re trying to do. From a 30,000 foot view, it just opened up our opportunity across all the players in the draft because you just know you’re not necessarily pigeonholed into “it has to be X skill set, X build, X makeup.” It’s really like, “Hey, have a good idea of how we want to use this guy and Todd will take it from there.” So it was more so probably from that lens as opposed to the specific skill sets that receiver or running back or tight end or O-line, if that answers…”
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