Saturday could very likely bring a match-up of the first and third quarterbacks selected in the NFL Draft this April. Or the second and third. Miami Hurricanes signal caller Brad Kaaya is consistently showing up in most NFL mock drafts as third QB off the boards. There’s a debate between #1 and #2, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer.
Of course, all this could change as this is an extremely fluid situation. The NFL Draft stock market will fluctuate wildly between now and April when the draft takes place in Philadelphia.
However, as it stands right now, it’s an ACC bonanza with the top three signal callers in the same conference. You might also see and hear a lot of Kizer versus Watson narratives this spring, just like we heard Carson Wentz versus Jared Goff last year, and Jameis Winston versus Marcus Mariota the year before that.
Go here to see where we have all three of these ACC QBs in our latest NFL mock draft.
Although to be honest, Brad Kaaya has truly seen his problems this year.
“That position starts with me, having the proper plan, having the right reads and progressions and the thought process that he’s going through. I want him to know where to go with the ball in all situations,” Miami head Coach Mark Richt said about the play of quarterback Brad Kaaya; who’s had some poor displays in the Hurricanes’ three losses.
The Canes started off 4-0 and rose to #10 in the AP poll. However, since then they have dropped three straight, to Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia Tech. Each loss has been progressively worse.
“I don’t think I did the best job in that last ball game,” said Richt via the Miami Sun Sentinel.
“There were some times I think he was a little bit uncertain of where to go with the ball and that’s when he ended up holding the ball longer than he should, and he got some sacks because of that, not necessarily because of the protection. It starts with me. I’ve got to do a better job. But overall, he’s handling everything thrown his way.”
Kaaya is a former ACC Rookie of the Year, boasting 62 percent completion and 1,696 yards passing on the season. However, he’s already has matched his 2015 season total with five interceptions.
“Kaaya leads Miami in a lot of categories. But I think he’s established himself more as a very consistent player for them on offense,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly.
“He runs the system very well. He can go from direct snap to shotgun. There’s a little bit of everything that he can do. He can run a little bit of zone read. He’s not going to kill you with it, but he keeps you off balance. He’s a guy that likes to push the ball down the field.”
“His numbers speak for themselves. He’s a veteran quarterback. He’s probably the most veteran quarterback that we’ve played up to this point in terms of experience,” Brian Kelly continued in his elaborating on Brad Kaaya.
“An experienced quarterback in college football, I mean, that’s hard to find today. With as many starts as he has… I would say that’s probably the number one strength, an experienced college quarterback.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.