The junior from Miami has the skills to earn a nice second contract in the NFL.

Technically and athletically, Brad Kaaya is the polar opposite of Patrick Mahomes. While both players have starter potential, Kaaya is the textbook option.

Kaaya’s footwork is consistent, he has experience under center, and he throws the ball away when pressure looms. Where Mahomes can scramble, Kaaya does a great imitation of young Peyton Manning escaping a pocket.

Kaaya has a good enough arm to become a productive NFL starter. But because the isn’t a hose hanging off his right shoulder, Miami wasn’t a top program during Kaaya’s tenure, and the junior isn’t a flashy athlete, don’t look for him to earn a spot in the first round.

Don’t be surprised if he drops to the third or fourth round. The NFL takes those resume bullet points seriously when it comes to risk assessment and if Kirk Cousins was a mid-round pick after all the fawning over his golden boy persona, Kaaya could see a similar fate.

Like Cousins, Kaaya has the fundamentals to develop into a long-term NFL starter. In this extended look at Kaaya against Pitt, I cover positives about his footwork, play action game, reading the field, pass placement, and “fat balls”.

There’s also a good segment about perceiving pressure and learning to tell if it’s a problem for a passer.

For analysis of skill players in the 2017 draft class, pre-order a login for the 2017 Rookie Scouting Portfolio – for April 1 download  Better yet, if you’re a fantasy owner the Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2012 – 2017 RSPs at no additional charge. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. You can purchase past editions of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio for just $9.95 each.