QB Kyle Lauletta more than an NFL draft sleeper
Kyle Lauletta isn't a quarterback who is going to wow you with his arm strength. At 6-foot-3 he's tall in comparison to the rest of us mortals, but by NFL standards, he's of average height. While Lauletta tested well at the scouting combine, his athleticism doesn't exactly jump off the tape. And having played at Richmond, an FCS school, he hasn't been able to prove himself on the national stage.
For all of those reasons, Lauletta isn't projected as a first-round pick. But as NFL history has repeatedly proven, the traits that get quarterbacks drafted highly - size, height and athleticism - rarely, if ever, are the foundation of a great career.
Look at the best quarterbacks in the league today. Some of them are tall; others are short. Some have howitzers for an arm; others can barely throw it 50 yards downfield. Some are as likely to beat a defense with their legs as they are with their arms; others rarely leave the pocket. There is no such thing as a prototype for a great NFL quarterback, but the best do have a lot in common under the surface: They all process information quickly. They're all accurate. And they're masters at navigating the pocket.
While Lauletta may not check all of the boxes that excite pro scouts, he does have all the traits we find in great NFL passers and could very well end up being the best of this loaded class of quarterbacks when all is said and done.
Lauletta invited For The Win inside Richmond's film room to break down five plays from a game against Sam Houston State. We've included video of our time with the future NFL quarterback throughout this article.
The defense could only play certain coverages: Cover 1, Cover 2 or Cover 3. And the Broncos staff didn't play Cover 2 the whole game. In Cover 1, the guys were usually in press coverage and they're head-up leverage. In Cover 3, the corners are farther off and lined up with outside leverage. So when I walked up to the line of scrimmage, I knew what coverage they were in every play.
A quarterback can be accurate and smart but if he gets rattled easily, it doesn't matter. Pocket poise is one of the more underrated aspects of playing quarterback in the NFL, where time and space in the pocket is at a premium. Lauletta's command of the pocket might be his biggest strength as a quarterback. Even against intense pressure, he keeps his eyes downfield and his feet in a position to throw.
For whatever reason, Lauletta's tape didn't generate a lot of hype before the pre-draft process, but that changed after his breakout performance at the Senior Bowl, which almost instantly transformed him from a Day 3 prospect to one who may end up going in the second round.
As guys like Tom Brady and Drew Brees have proven, it doesn't matter where a quarterback goes in the draft. Smart, accurate passers who understand the nuances of the position will always get a shot in the NFL. Lauletta's skill-set may not propel him to top of any team's draft board, but it will serve him well during what should be a long, successful career for whichever team is smart enough to draft him.
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