Doug NelsonWorldWide Rams Who is the 6-foot-3 222 pound Kyle Lauletta? Lauletta comes from a football, family, with both his father and his brother having played Division I college ball at various times. He's a guy with all of the intangibles...leadership, poise, vision good instincts. While the Richmond Spiders may not exactly be the Ohio State Buckeyes, but they did post a winning record last year, including a victory over in-state rival University of Virginia. Lauletta threw for over 3,700 yards and 28 touchdowns versus only 12 interceptions. He also was the MVP of the 2018 Senior Bowl game. While Lauletta won't "wow" you with his arm, the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Bronco’s and New Orleans Saints are all rumored to be evaulating his talent for the 2018 NFL Draft. Let's not forget, scouts said Drew Brees and Russell Wilson were too short, Tom Brady wasn't athletic enough, and Joe Montana didn't have a great arm either. As Brady said of the scouts later. "What do they know?" Kyle Lauletta HighlightsStrengths Put up really good numbers the last two seasons at Richmond, and many people would argue "the numbers don't lie." Lauletta features smooth footwork and throws well on the run. He shows poise in the pocket, throws a tight spiral and is very accurate on short and intermediate throws. He’s mobile enough to keep plays alive in the face of a pass rush. As I mentioned above, he scores well in the mental aspects of the game that are so important to NFL success. He has great vision, the patience to let his receivers run their routes and has proven to be a good leader in pressure situations. Can throw the ball 60 yards but he wilts under pressure. Lauletta doesn't appear to be one of those types of quarterbacks. Weakness The big knock on Lauletta is that he just doesn't have an NFL arm and can’t make all of the throws. Some of the other knocks on Lauletta are typical of young quarterbacks, such as throwing into double coverage and sometimes locked in on one receiver to the point it allows defensive backs to get into position to make a play. Aside from the lack of arm strength, the other flaws can be adjusted. However, because of the weakness, Lauletta may be a "project" who will be developed over time. This isn't all bad, by developing him into a quarterback to learn the professional game, is better off not to be thrown into the fire before developed. Is he a fit for the Rams? Tough question really boils down to a couple focal points. First, how committed are the Rams with the play of Sean Mannion? His one start against the San Francisco 49ers last season was pretty tough, but in all fairness, he was playing with second and third string offensive players in a meaningless game. Secondly, are they comfortable with Mannion, and do they carry three quarterbacks? Could Lauletta end up with the practice squad? Draft Prediction 5th - 6th Round (although some have him projected a bit higher. Drafting NFL quarterbacks are notoriously hard, and so is predicting where a player like Lauletta ends up. There is a pretty good chance he will be available at least in the fourth round if the Rams feel the need to grab a quarterback.) NFL Comparison
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
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