Boise State Quarterback Kellen Moore Should Be Selected Late In Draft By The New Orleans Saints

Published: 18^th Apr 12 7:24 pm

by Brandon Winkler
B.G.

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Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE

Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore paid a visit with the New Orleans Saints yesterday, according to Scout.com.

This move could be perfect for the Saints who could easily replace third-string quarterback Sean Canfield who has spent most of his time on the practice squad. They also may be looking at potentially having to replace back-up quarterback Chase Daniel, who was a restricted free agent but signed a one-year contract with the team earlier this offseason.

Both Canfield and Daniel are unrestricted free agents in 2013.

While attending Boise State, Moore set an all-time record for wins by an NCAA Division starting quarterback, with a 50-3 record from 2007-2011. The two-time All-American almost managed to lead the Broncos, who play in the WAC, to a 17-10 BCS win in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl against the TCU Horned Frogs.

In his senior year, the Broncos finished with a 12-1 record. Kellen Moore threw for 3,800 yards along with 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

For his career, he’s tallied up an impressive 14,667 yards passing alongside 142 touchdowns with only 28 interceptions and a 69.8 % completion rating. He’s the first player in NCAA history to have four seasons with 3,000 yards passing and 3,000 yards of total offense.

Yet, according to NFLDraftScout.com Moore is projected as a sixth-round pick at best. Why?

He’s too short. He doesn’t have NFL arm strength. He didn’t run a pro-style offense in college. We’ve heard all this before, haven’t we? New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees received the same criticism.

Out of college Drew Brees, here was the critique he faced, courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com:

Positives:

Touch passer with the ability to read and diagnose defensive coverages. Confident leader who knows how to take command in the huddle.
Very tough and mobile moving around in the pocket.
Has a quick setup and is very effective throwing on the move.
Throws across his body with great consistency.
Hits receivers in stride and improvises his throws in order to make a completion.
Puts good zip behind the short and mid-range passes.
Shows good judgement and keen field vision.
Has a take-charge attitude and is very cool under pressure.
Hits receivers in motion with impressive velocity.
Has superb pocket presence and uses all of his offensive weapons in order to move the chains.
Has solid body mechanics and quickness moving away from center.
Elusive scrambler with the body control to avoid the rush.

Negatives:

Plays in the spread offense, taking the bulk of his snaps from the shotgun.
Tends to side-arm his passes going deep.
Lacks accuracy and touch on his long throws.
Seems more comfortable in the short/intermediate passing attack.
Does not possess the ideal height you look for in a pro passer, though his ability to scan the field helps him compensate in this area.
Will improvise and run when the passing lanes are clogged, but tends to run through defenders rather than trying to avoid them to prevent unnecessary punishment.
Small frame, 6’0 213 lbs

Many would say that’s very accurate, yet Brees proved that he could overcome his critics and become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today. I don’t need to go over the endless stats Brees has put up over his career or the countless franchise records he’s broken. You’ve heard all that before.

Kellen Moore is facing many of the same issues that Brees faced. Here’s a look at the scouting report on the Boise State product from Yardbarker.com:

Positives:

Incredibly smart
High football IQ
Excellent decision maker
Great short to intermediate accuracy
Excellent timing
Quick release
Winner (50-3 career record with 3 losses by 5 points)
4 year starter
4 years of great production (completion percentages between 64.3%-74.3%, touchdowns between 25-43, interceptions between 3-10)
Has always been mature beyond his years
Good pocket presence
Gets ball out quick and avoids sacks
High character leader
Great field vision
Always keeps his eyes downfield
Hard worker who loves the game
All the intangibles

Negatives:

Small frame 6-0 197 lbs.
Minimal arm strength
Struggles with throws outside the numbers
Deep throws tend to hang
Poor deep accuracy
Low release point
Combination of low release point and lack of height lead to a lot of passes deflected at the line, only will get worse in NFL
Level of competition wasn’t great
Not mobile
Doesn’t throw particularly well on the run
Poor athlete
Not a lot of under center experience
No Pro Style experience
System quarterback?
Doesn’t pass the eyeball test

Deadly accurate, decisive, reads defenses as well as anyone in the game. He’s too short, not strong enough, not mobile enough. I’d say their comparison is pretty well. The only difference to point out is Moore is a left handed quarterback and that Brees was projected to be a first or second round pick. He was also ranked second out of 28 quarterbacks in the 2001 NFL Draft.

The Saints have been known to find gems late in the draft and although there’s no guarantees that Kellen Moore will ever become the player Drew Brees became, who better to teach him than the man who faced the exact criticism that he is facing?

Besides, if anyone is going to develop a quarterback into a star in the NFL there’s two franchises that stand out from the crowd. The Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints.

I’m in favor of taking defensive selections throughout the draft and if Moore is the in the sixth or seventh round of the draft, take him. It’s a low-risk decisions. How many seventh round selections make it in the NFL anyways, especially quarterbacks?

With Drew Brees getting older by the year and near the end of his career in the NFL, the Saints need to start thinking future and develop a quality quarterback to mold. Much like the Green Bay Packers did with quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, then again with Rodgers and Matt Flynn.

Now is the perfect time to do it.

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