2018 NFL Draft Profile: Kyle Lauletta, Quarterback, Richmond

Kyle Lauletta

College: Richmond

Position: Quarterback

Height/Weight: 6-4/222

College Stats: 3,737 yards, 28 touchdowns, 12 interceptions as a senior. 2017 All-American and three-time all-CAA selection

No quarterback looked more pro ready at the FCS level than Kyle Lauletta. He improved over each of his last three seasons at Richmond after winning the starting job as a sophomore, and finished as the school’s all-time leading passer with over 10,000 yards during his collegiate career.

Lauletta proved that he can be successful in multiple systems as well. When he first earned the starting job, Danny Rocco was the head coach at Richmond. Rocco is an old school coach that asks his teams to run first and play good defense, so Lauletta was asked to use a lot of play action. He looked comfortable in the pro-style set, and Lauletta was able to take over too when needed.

Coming into his senior season, there were a number of questions surrounding Lauletta. He tore his ACL in the regular season finale against William & Mary at the end of his junior year, and he was going to be learning a brand-new offense. Rocco left to take the head coaching job at Delaware, and the Spiders brought in Russ Huesman to replace him.

Huesman turned over the offense to Jeff Durden, who implemented a spread scheme. Lauletta would work out of the gun, and he was asked to run more than he had the year prior as well. He performed very well in the new system, putting up his best numbers yet. The Spiders missed out on the playoffs, but they averaged 30.9 PPG with Lauletta at the helm.

Pros

Lauletta’s ability to quickly learn schemes is a huge advantage. He had four different offensive coordinators during his time at Richmond, but he was able to be effective no matter who was calling the plays. That will give him a chance to make an impact as a rookie if he goes to the right team.

He is also one of the more accurate quarterbacks in this draft class. Lauletta’s receivers weren’t able to create much separation, leaving him to throw in tighter windows than some of his counterparts.

Cons

In addition to the usual concerns over whether or not his skill set will transfer over to the NFL, he does have one big flaw. Lauletta does not have a ton of arm strength and will struggle to make all the throws pro teams ask quarterbacks to make in the NFL. That could lead to a number of interceptions if teams ask him to test defensive backs deep.

Final Thoughts

Lauletta has been rocketing up draft boards since a great performance at the Senior Bowl led to him being named the Senior Bowl MVP.

Initially, Lauletta was pegged as a late-round prospect, but a number of teams have brought in him for workouts and he is now considered to be a Day 2 selection. Numerous reports have linked him to the Patriots, and that might give Lauletta the best chance to succeed at the next level.