Might as well toss out the Chicago Bears Chad Kelly banners right now. Many fans across social media have quietly hoped for months that their favorite team might at least consider a risky proposition. Namely the idea drafting the Ole Miss quarterback. It’s not surprising. From a purely physical perspective, Kelly might be one of the two or three most gifted throwers in the entire 2017 draft class.
No joke. The guy has delivered some of the most incredible passes seen in college football over the past several years. He can throw it with velocity and can throw it with touch. Just watch this dandy he had against Alabama last year and try not to say wow. Bet that won’t be possible.
Heck of a throw by #ChadKelly – special arm. #Browns #NFLDraft @Browns #DawgPound #OleMiss pic.twitter.com/QDLfPUcXWh
— Scott Dryden (@BrownsScout) January 26, 2017
Exactly. The point being that when Kelly is hot he can slice up any defense he goes against. Not surprising since he’s the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly. So why isn’t he considered a first round draft choice? Two reasons. First is health. He suffered a gruesome knee injury last season, tearing two ligaments including the ACL. Then there’s the other. He might be just a little bit crazy.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
A Chicago Bears Chad Kelly plan? Whole lot of nope
Okay, that might be a bit extreme. However, the young man does suffer from maturity issues. Major maturity issues. Initially he was supposed to attend Clemson but was dimissed in 2013 due to conduct detrimental to the team. In 2014 he was arrested for an altercation outside a nightclub in Buffalo. Last but not least he stormed a high school football field looking for a fight after his brother was given a cheap shot.
Yet in spite of all this people remain confident that if he can just straighten himself out he could end up being the best QB to come out of this draft. Seriously. That’s why 31 teams were at the Ole Miss pro day to watch him. Unfortunately people who hoped Chicago might take a look were disappointed.
Late on this, but 31 of the 32 teams were at Ole Miss pro day on Monday. The one that was not: the #Bears.
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) April 5, 2017
A team must have standards
Some will say the Bears not being there had nothing to do with Kelly. In fact that’s wrong. There were no other notable prospects at the pro day they needed to see. Top tight end Evan Engram was at the Senior Bowl, so they’d gotten their full preview of him. Kelly was the main attraction given it was his first throwing session in months and they said no thanks. Maybe they had it right because Kelly had to bow out after just 12 passes due to a tweaked wrist.
In truth the reason for their absence is obvious. Kelly is most likely not even on their draft board. Since Ryan Pace and John Fox took over in 2015, the two men put a much heavier emphasis on player character. They wanted guys who were all about football with clean backgrounds. Down-to-earth, passionate players that work their tails off. Kelly doesn’t even come close to fitting that description.
He’s unpredictable and injury-prone. Sure he can throw the ball well but it takes way more than that to be the face of a franchise. Nice to know the Bears haven’t compromised their standards even in this situation.
