Chad Kelly could be the steal of the 2017 NFL Draft

The Denver Broncos took Chad Kelly with the 253rd and final selection of the 2017 NFL Draft. He could wind up being the biggest steal in the class…

The Denver Broncos made a slightly shocking decision to make Chad Kelly, the former Ole Miss quarterback and nephew of NFL legend Jim Kelly, the final selection in the 2017 NFL Draft.

That decision didn’t come as a shock to everyone…

#Broncos need a no. 3 QB, not sure they will let the one they want get to the UDFA pool. I say they draft one at 253
— Sayre Bedinger (@SayreBedinger) April 29, 2017

I think the best player is Chad Kelly. Not sure they did any pre-draft work on him though
— Sayre Bedinger (@SayreBedinger) April 29, 2017

Sure enough, with the 253rd pick, the Broncos took a shot on Kelly. At the time, I was more hoping it would happen as it was an ideal situation for Kelly to walk into, but apparently, the Denver Broncos agreed.

Heck, Broncos head coach Vance Joseph even called Kelly his ‘favorite’ quarterback in this year’s draft…

"“He was my favorite quarterback in the draft. He beat Alabama twice. That’s tough to do as a college quarterback. He’s a tough guy. He’s smart. He’s make some childish mistakes in the past, but he’s learned from those things, so I’m comfortable with him.”— Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph (quotes obtained via Broncos PR)"

Unlike many Mr. Irrelevant selections, this one has a chance to develop into a starter in the NFL. I’m not afraid to say that. Of course, if Kelly acts like a fool off the field, we won’t be having that discussion. That’s part of the reason why he fell to the seventh round.

But a lack of talent can’t possibly be the reason Kelly fell to the last pick of the draft. Sure, his path to the NFL was unorthodox and tainted by some red flags along the way. However, this is a player that dominated the SEC after a year at East Mississippi Community College where he won a National Championship.

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The same people who are criticizing Kelly today are the ones who were touting him as a top prospect after his stellar junior season at Ole Miss. Another year under the microscope, another ACL surgery, and more injury issues pushed Kelly nearly off the draft board completely until John Elway came calling.

Kelly was my fifth-ranked quarterback in this year’s draft behind Patrick Mahomes, DeShaun Watson, Mitch Trubisky, and DeShone Kizer. He could wind up being better than any of those guys when all is said and done.

Obviously, at this point, that’s a definite stretch. But there’s no questioning Kelly’s love for football, his competitive nature, and the way he’s able to put a team on his back and lead them to victory. There’s also no denying his arm talent, which is absolutely outstanding.

Kelly is a natural-born athlete who is over-confident to a fault and feels like he can make a big play even when a play is completely dead. That was evidenced by one of the craziest touchdowns you’ll see in his 2015 tape against Alabama…

That kind of play isn’t a wise decision, especially at the next level, but it shows the kind of heart this guy has underneath the jersey and pads.

It’s hard not to like the upside of this pick, especially after the endorsement the guy who drafted Kelly — John Elway — gave him.

"“I called his uncle [Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly], and he said he’s a good kid. I said, ‘OK. That’s all I need.’ I trust Jim with that. I think that obviously there’s been some history there, but we felt comfortable that Chad understands what he’s been through and is ready to take this step and realizes the step that he’s taking. It’s got to be a little bit different than it was when he was in college. We’re fully confident that Chad is going to be able to come up here and understand the situation that he’s in. The one thing about him is he’s a great competitor. I think that’s why we’re really excited about him. He makes a lot of plays and takes some chances, but he’s a great competitor and he’s got great lineage. I did talk to Jim today, and obviously Jim was very high on him, as we were. We’re thrilled that he was still there. I didn’t think he’d get there through 253, but we were happy he did.”"

Right now, the Denver Broncos have two quarterbacks in Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian vying for their starting position. It’s not even arguable among those two and Kelly together which one had the most collegiate success, but that means nothing now moving forward.

What the Broncos have is a young player who will be hungry to prove himself. Going undrafted would have at least allowed Kelly the validation of being pursued by multiple teams and being a commodity. Being the last pick of the draft was a major slice of humble pie and didn’t allow him to choose the situation he felt was best.

As it turns out, he probably couldn’t have drawn it up any better.

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