(STATS) – Kyle Lauletta was never a childhood prodigy who went to many quarterback camps, looking to showcase his skills to the observers who are always ready to anoint the second-coming of various greats.
Like Lauletta to his favorite QB, Aaron Rodgers.
During his All-America career at Richmond, however, Lauletta got to work with kids in after-school programs and through the football team. It’s given him the vision of one day running a passing academy, maybe making it a family affair. His father, Joe, was a reserve signal caller at Navy, older brother Trey preceded him as the starting quarterback at Downingtown East in suburban Philadelphia, and younger brother Bryce eventually took over that role as well.
“One of my passions is talking to and teaching young kids,” said Lauletta, who in high school was the co-founder of a program that donated new and gently used sports equipment to the Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia.
Lauletta’s cerebral approach seemingly makes him an ideal mentor for breaking down the mechanics of the position. Combine that with exceptional skills and take-charge ways, and he’s risen quickly with NFL opinions in the months leading into next week’s three-day draft. He’s impressed so much that he admits he would be disappointed if he’s not selected before the second day ends with the third round.
“I can’t wait for the draft. It’s going to be a great moment for me,” Richmond’s all-time leading passer said. “The exciting thing for me is I feel like I’ve really helped myself out and I feel like I’ve performed well.”
The big question surrounding the Lauletta has been his level of competition. But the 6-foot-2 5/8, 222-pounder has had ample opportunities to impress scouts – and he’s done it.
– He passed for three touchdowns and 198 yards in the second half of the Senior Bowl, winning the MVP award.
– He tested well during the on-field drills and felt he interviewed well with teams at the NFL combine, where the media was quick to compare Lauletta to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, the 2013 Walter Payton Award winner out of Eastern Illinois.
– He made all the throws in the route tree amid cold, windy conditions at Richmond’s pro day.
“(He’s) very smart, very attentive,” his Senior Bowl coach Bill O’Brien, from the Houston Texans, said after the North team’s win. “I thought that he picked up on the things that we were trying to do. He improved from day one to the game. He played well in the game.”
“The speed of the game to me is something that you adapt to and really get used to quickly,” Lauletta said.
“But the complexity is something that you really just have to learn as far as learning the whole playbook and understanding that the defenses disguise so much more and they blitz in different ways. Football is such a game of X’s and O’s, so you have to be prepared to kind of master that. Although I think that’s the hardest step, I think that I’m very prepared to do really well in that aspect. Those are some of the strengths of my game – being able to adapt. I’ve been in a bunch of different offenses in college and having to learn quickly isn’t really foreign to me.”
While at Richmond, Lauletta played under four different offensive coordinators yet threw for over 3,000 yards in each of his three seasons as a starter, finishing his career with 10,465 yards and 73 touchdown passes – both school records – while completing 63.5 percent of his passes. He rebounded from a torn ACL late in his junior season to win CAA Football offensive player of the year as a senior. He also was named to the STATS FCS All-America third team.
Often operating out of a shotgun, he processed the field well, comfortable throwing from the pocket even when it collapsed or using his good mobility for rollouts. He’s accurate on throws to the short and intermediate levels, although he’s not an elite downfield passer.
“With his ability to thread the needle like few quarterbacks coming out of college can, combined with his instincts and quick release, it would come to no surprise to see him selected on day two of the NFL Draft,” praised NFL Draft Bible.
Dane Brugler, senior analyst of NFLDraftScout, said, “Lauletta isn’t Jimmy Garoppolo and shouldn’t have those expectations, but he is a really talented passer who will be a long-time pro.”
And that’s what Kyle Lauletta wants next – to be an NFL player.
Where he’s taken in the draft or how well he will do in the league isn’t guaranteed.
But he’s more than happy to try to fulfill the upcoming opportunity.
“The most important thing is what you do after you get drafted. I realize that,” he said. “I realize I am going to get right back to work, hit the reset button and start working again. And that’s kind of how it’s always been for me. I just can’t what to get the whole thing started and find out what team I’m going to play for.”
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