After trading Jimmy Garoppolo, it seems the Patriots might try to find their quarterback of the future. A potential prospect could be Kyle Lauletta, who is a 6’3” 215-pound quarterback out of Richmond. Lauletta was relatively unheard of until he threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns to be the MVP of the Senior Bowl. He received a 76.6 overall grade for his performance by Pro Football focus, second only to projected Top-10 pick Josh Allen.
Many NFL experts believe that he can be Tom Brady’s next heir. “Lauletta starred in the Senior Bowl last week, and I’m not the only draft analyst who came away from the game thinking he’d be a fine fit for New England,” NFL.com draft analyst, Chad Reuter writes. An article published by CBS sports says that Lauletta checks the boxes for things that Belichick loves and could be his perfect quarterback.
Stats
In 2017, he had 3,737 yards, 28 touchdowns, and completed 64.9 percent of his passes. Lauletta ranked 5th in total yards and 3rd in yards per game in the NCAA. He also ended up being Richmond’s all-time leading passer with 10,465 yards.
Strengths
- Great accuracy (had improved every day in Senior Bowl practices in Mobile)
- Quick release and great mechanics (always has one smooth motion, no matter how far downfield the throw is)
- Able to go through his reads quickly and find the open man
- Great pocket presence and footwork (looks like an NFL veteran out there…)
- Can throw accurate passes on the run and under pressure
- Has decent athleticism
- Has toughness required to take NFL hits (former lacrosse player)
- Shown ability to make clutch red zone throws (example in Senior Bowl where he was able to make tight window passes after escaping pressure)
- Ability to extend plays
- Ability to adapt to new playbooks (played under 4 offensive coordinators in his 4 years at Richmond)
- Great leader (double majors in business and leadership) and competitor
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Weaknesses
- A bit of concern for his ACL tear
- Arm strength (needs to put a lot of air under the ball to hit downfield targets)
- May get panicked by pass rush and look for a way out too quickly
- Can throw balls with a high trajectory that allows safeties or corners to catch up with receiver
- Decision making not perfect
Comparison
Lauletta is like a more athletic Jared Goff. They both have similar builds and playing style, although Lauletta uses his feet a bit more. Goff, the first pick in 2016, made a sophomore leap due to new coaching. I feel that Lauletta is a lot like Goff coming into the NFL- promising but with a few downfalls that can lead to bad play. With the right coaching, Lauletta would be able to excel by taking advantage of his strengths to make plays… just like Goff did.
Photo Credit: Richmond.com
Conclusion
Kyle Lauletta has all the tools he needs to be an NFL caliber quarterback. He can be a great pick for the Patriots and can develop under Tom Brady to become a superstar in the next few years.