Chad Kelly
Kelly is the ultimate question mark. He’s gifted – arguably the second-most talented quarterback in this class in terms of physical tools (Mahomes is first). But boy, does he have issues.
He originally committed to Clemson, where he clashed with coaches repeatedly enough to get dismissed from the program. He went to East Mississippi CC for a year, where he won a national title. Ole Miss then came calling, and he transferred, despite getting into trouble with a restaurant in Buffalo. In 2015, he beat Alabama, Auburn, and LSU, and won Sugar Bowl MVP honors. In 2016, he tore his ACL which ended his collegiate career.
His arm talent is exceptional. He’s Jay Cutler-like, in the sense that he will make throws that don’t agree with the laws of physics. He has good poise, and is a hell of a competitor. He can run too, as he has 41 and 43 yard runs to his name during the course of his career. He’s accurate and can make solid anticipatory throws.
His biggest issues are his character concerns. Scouts are scared of him because of the off-the-field situations that he’s found himself in during his collegiate career. Hell, he wasn’t even invited to the NFL Combine, which speaks volumes of his reputation. When character concerns follow you from school to school and into the scouting process, you’re in trouble.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Overall, he has the physical ability to be pretty great. The issue is he hasn’t proven that he can stay out of trouble, limiting faith that he can get to greatness. His NFL.com pro comparison is Andy Dalton, but I think he’s more talented than Dalton. He’s a low-first/high-second round talent that will probably fall to rounds 6-7, maybe even undrafted. And if that’s the case, he’s a prospect Chicago would do well to take a chance on.
