Chad Kelly

QB · Mississippi
A two-year starter in the Rebels' spread scheme, Kelly had a roller coaster collegiate career, which includes several lows and highs both on and off the field. He might have the best highlights of any quarterback prospect in this class and when given enough time in the pocket, Kelly has the impressive arm talent to let loose and fire strikes downfield. He competes with a gunslinger mentality and his strengths show a future NFL starter, but streaky decision-making is problematic as he doesn't subscribe to the quarterback Hippocratic Oath (keep team from harm). He has a "Superman complex" according to one NFL general manager, which isn't the worst quality for a quarterback, but his team will also have to take the negative implications that come with that, including several past examples of immaturity that can't be ignored. With NFL physical traits, desired toughness and notable bloodlines, Kelly will receive a chance to be a pro, but enters the NFL with a "buyer beware" tag that will take him off several draft boards around the league. Kelly was considered the No. 1 high school recruit in the state of New York and committed to Clemson over offers from Alabama, Florida State and others. With Tahj Body entrenched as the starter, Kelly redshirted in 2012 and served as the third-string quarterback in 2013, seeing minimal time in mop-up duty. He was in a three-way battle with Cole Stoudt and true freshman Deshaun Watson during the spring of 2014, but was dismissed from the program in April for "conduct detrimental to the team." Kelly went the JUCO route and led East Mississippi to the 2014 NJCAA National Title and was rated a four-star JUCO recruit, committing to Ole Miss. He won the Rebels' starting quarterback job in 2015 and led the SEC in passing with a school-record 4,042 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns and 41 total scores, earning Second Team All-SEC honors (became the first Ole Miss quarterback to lead wins over Alabama, Auburn and LSU in the same season). Kelly returned to Ole Miss in 2016 and started the first nine games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, finishing his senior year with 62.5-percent completions, 2,758 passing yards and a 19-8 TD-INT ratio.