We’ve gotten used to Hall of Famer Bill Polian saying some pretty wild things in recent years, but he might have just taken the cake Wednesday night. During a segment on NFL Network’s NFL Live, Polian casually said that seventh-round rookie quarterback Chad Kelly is more talented than Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch.
Just rewatched NFL Live and caught this gem: per analysts: the most talented QB in Denver isn't Lynch or Siemian. Watch this👇 pic.twitter.com/YmufgXUbmt
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) July 20, 2017
Now, it should be noted that Kelly did put up some pretty prodigious stats during his tenure with Ole Miss. After transferring from Clemson, where he was kicked off the team, he skipped playing football during his sophomore season. Then in his final two years with the Rebels, Kelly started 22 games, completing 64 percent of his passes for 6,800 yards with 50 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
Those interception totals are certainly cause for concern, and he routinely trusted his arm far too much. But those who watched Kelly know he’s a true gunslinger with legitimate arm talent.
Additionally, it’s not fair to base Kelly’s worth on the field on his seventh-round status. Character concerns and an ACL injury caused his stock to plummet, though Kelly seems to have turned things around.
All that said, while it’s easy to argue Kelly is more “talented” than Siemian, saying he’s better than Lynch is another thing altogether. Athletically, and from an arm-talent standpoint, Lynch was very coveted last year before the draft. Heck, if John Elway hadn’t beat out Jerry Jones by trading up to land him, then Lynch would have been a Dallas Cowboys quarterback last year, rather than Dak Prescott.
And if Kelly really is more talented than Lynch, then what does that say about Elway’s decision to move up in the draft to land him?
It’s widely understood that Lynch and Siemian are locking horns this summer for the starting spot. And there have been plenty of reports to suggest Siemian will win the job. But what if there’s a dark horse in the form of Kelly? We can’t wait to see what happens, and at least we know things won’t be boring in Denver this summer.