NFL Draft Profile: Cole Kelley, Quarterback, Southeastern Louisiana Lions

NFL Draft profile scouting report for Southeastern La. QB Cole Kelley

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#15
Pos: QB
Ht: 6073
Wt: 249
Hand: 978
Arm: 3368
Wing: 8128
40: NA
Vertical: NA
Broad: NA
3 Cone: NA
Bench: NA
Shuttle: NA
DOB: 10/27/1997
Hometown: Lafayette, LA
High School: Teurlings Catholic

Cole Kelley
Southeastern Louisiana Lions

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One-liner:

This is a quarterback prospect with a defensive end frame. He is big, very tall, and had an absolute rocket for an arm.

Pros:

Easily the most powerful arm in this draft class. Fluid throwing motion and a quick release that the ball just jumps out of his hand. Great timing on his passes. Excellent accuracy for a young quarterback with his arm strength, he can fit the ball into really tight windows. Able to throw from many arm angles and still be accurate. Goes through progressions very well and isn’t afraid to take the check down. Surprisingly athletic for his size, has no problem scrambling, and is very good with zone reads, plus he is extremely difficult to tackle. Very intelligent player who can read a defense and will pick apart your weakness. Great leader and ultimate competitor, no matter how much they might be down if there is time left he is going for it.

Cons:

Never took a snap under center, so we don’t know if he can do that and though it seems like a small issue it is something that could limit your offense. He relies on his arm power too much and will sometimes make bad decisions. His accuracy can get away from him at times because he is still learning to use touch on his pass and not rifle every pass as hard as he can. He is an absolute gamer and plays “hero ball” in many situations. It may have worked for him sometimes at Southeastern Louisiana, but that will not work in the NFL.

Summary:

This is a prospect we could be talking about for a long time as the gem of this draft class. He is a big and athletic quarterback with a rocket for an arm. As powerful as his arm is, he is still an accurate passer and can fit the ball into some really tight windows. Plays with a ton of swagger and is the ultimate competitor who will do whatever it takes to win. Has a very similar skillset and potential outlook to Josh Allen, both good and bad. He has all the skills in the world, but he still is a very raw prospect and has areas that need to improve. He has a quick release and the ability to throw from many arm angles. He is very good at going through his progressions and finding the right receiver to pass to, even if it is just a check down. He has great timing on throws and can throw receivers open. He will get caught playing hero ball once in a while and it can cause some turnovers. This will also lead to his accuracy getting away from him because he starts overthrowing players. Needs to get better at putting touch on his throws and learn he doesn’t need to throw his hardest every time. However, these are things that can easily be fixed and should not deter a team from looking at him. He is a surprising athlete, he can actually run pretty well and has no problem lowering his shoulder to truck a defender, though that will be limited in the NFL.

Background:

Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, he played his high school ball at Teurlings Catholic. After he had a prolific high school career, he was rated as a four-star recruit and the number two quarterback in the state of Louisiana. He was a multi-time All-State and All-District player. He spent his first two seasons at the University of Arkansas, where he played in eighteen games and started six of them. He transferred to Southeastern Louisiana in 2019, which is where his career took off. Though he was the backup in 2019, he played in all of his team’s games and led the team in rushing touchdowns with 10. In the 20-21 season, he finally got his shot to be the outright starter and made a statement. He was awarded the Walter Payton Award, the FCS Heisman and was named first-team All-American. He won the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year, but oddly enough was second-team All-Southland Conference.

Grade: 

4th Round