University of Richmond Athletics
Spider on Spider: ESPN's Todd McShay Talks Kyle Lauletta With RichmondSpiders.Com
04/23/2018 | Football
RICHMOND, Va. - Later this week at the NFL Draft, Kyle Lauletta is expected to become the first Spiders quarterback selected since the mid-1970s. But Richmond signal-callers have been closely associated with the NFL Draft for years thanks to Todd McShay, a Spiders QB from the Class of 1999 who has served as ESPN's NFL Draft analyst for more than a decade. With Draft Day approaching, McShay spoke to RichmondSpiders.Com about his evaluation of Lauletta, which teams might be a good fit, and what life is like for a Draft Analyst in the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft.Â
Jason Vida (Associate Director of Athletic Public Relations): When is the first time you realized that the University of Richmond has a quarterback who is going to be a NFL Draft prospect?
Todd McShay (UR Class of 1999, ESPN NFL Draft Analyst): Every year we get a scouting list of thousands of players. They have grades on them, but it's more so just, 'OK – these are the guys who could potentially be first few rounds. These are the guys that are later rounds. These are the guys that maybe have some injury stuff.' All that. Basically if you have a pulse and you're about to be a senior you're going to be on this list somewhere. But Kyle was somewhere in that range where he could potentially be a draftable quarterback.
I only scout about 120, 130 players in the preseason on tape. Just to kind of get a baseline. He was not one of them. But then he was playing well and a couple scouts – basically because I think they knew I went to Richmond – just kind of shot me texts during the season. I want to say around October is when I finally started to do a little work on him. Not a ton. I think just one game. And I liked some of what I saw. And then I did another game on him before I went to the Senior Bowl, knowing that he was going to be there. And then during the week of the Senior Bowl – both from watching what I saw from him in practice and the reports I was getting back from the coaching staff that he was working with and the scouts that were meeting with him on how quickly he was processing information, how bright he was, how consistent he was – I thought he was the most consistent quarterback in terms of his accuracy and decision-making throughout the entire week of practice. I flew home on Friday as most scouts do and then watched the game on TV Saturday and he obviously was MVP of the game. From that point on, it became 'Alright, now I've got to go back and really dig' and I wound up watching every throw he made this past year. ... I'm not going to give Kyle any higher or lower grade because of us going to the same school and the fact that he could be the first quarterback since 1975 drafted out of Richmond. But I definitely want to make sure I represent him well and make sure I have all the information possible because he's a guy I'm proud of and excited for.
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JV: As a scout, what's your big-picture take on him as an NFL prospect?
TM: I think he has a chance to develop into a starter in the league. So much is dependent on where he goes, the opportunities he gets, staying healthy. Everything timing up. With every prospect, not just him.
But the way I grade is – in my mind, based on what I've evaluated – 'Is he projected to be an immediate starter and a perennial All-Pro player?' That's the highest, in the 95 and above range. Then the second level is 'Is this guy going to be a starter early in his career and be a good starter throughout?' Then there's 'Does he project as an eventual starter but may not be ready right away to start?' That's where I would put Kyle. In my opinion, those are the players you draft on Day Two. I think in the second, third round you should be drafting starters. Guys that may not start year one but in the first two or three years they're going to be a starter and you think you're going to get them to that point.
I have a second-third round grade on him but my guess is that he's going to go in the second round as quarterbacks always get pushed up a little bit. This year's class is loaded at the top. You've got four top-end, high-quality quarterbacks in Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield, in no specific order. And then Lamar Jackson is kind of that wildcard. There's a lot of different opinions on him but I think he's going to be a first-round pick. And then that next tier to me is Mason Rudolph and Lauletta.
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JV: Is there a recent prospect or current NFL guy Kyle reminds you of? Everyone says Jimmy Garoppolo, because of playing in the FCS, but is there a guy YOU see when you look at his tape?
TM: Garoppolo's not a bad one. I don't think Kyle is quite as agile as Jeff Garcia. … He's got kind of a unique delivery, but he gets it out quickly. He kind of fits in that West Coast style. Case Keenum would be a decent comparison.
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JV: Half of this is your evaluation of the player and half of this is what you're hearing from NFL teams. Are there a couple teams where you think he would be a good fit?
TM: Everyone has made the New England connection, and it makes sense. The lacrosse thing. Navy – his dad and his uncle. More importantly, if you're going to bring in a young quarterback to develop you're going to need someone who can hold up mentally with Tom Brady. And let's face it, as a backup early in your career for an established starter, especially a guy like Brady, you're basically going to quarterback grade school. It's all about homework and 'what project does Tom have for me today?' You've got to be a guy that's willing to put in the work and intelligent enough to understand what Tom's looking for. I think that would be a good place.
I think the Chargers. I think the Saints with New Orleans would be a great place for him. In that division, you've got really good weather or you're indoors. You've got a very bright mind in your head coach in Sean Payton. And you're learning behind one of the best [Drew Brees].
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JV: Have you heard anything from any teams that surprised you about him?
TM: The thing that stands out is the more teams have been around him and have worked with him mentally – put him on the board or peppered him with play-calling and how he processes information, can he regurgitate an installation, those sorts of things – they've been really impressed.
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JV: Do you see the stigma of playing against FCS competition decreasing at all as guys like Jimmy Garoppolo and Carson Wentz have success in the NFL?
TM: I think you have have to excel (on the field), but it's really important that you kill the process too. Garoppolo was really productive. Dominated his level of competition, elevated his team. And then, during the draft process, he went to the East-West Shrine Game. He wasn't initially invited to the Senior Bowl but then A.J. McCarron said 'no' and he took his spot and obviously would up getting drafted higher than [McCarron]. I think it's really important you excel because there are more questions that you want to get answered.
I think Wentz went to a small high school and didn't have a lot of exposure in recruiting. But even with him it took people a long time to come around on him. I can remember taking heat from people: 'Well, he did it against the FCS. He broke his wrist. Doesn't have a ton of playing time. Etcetera, etcetera.' I just think you have to overcome more [coming from the FCS]. But at the end of the day, if you can play you can play.
It's hard to grade out any higher than Kyle has with what he's got to work with physically and mentally.
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JV: During the season, do you get to follow Richmond football at all?
TM: I definitely check in weekly to see the scores. Not many of my coaches are still there, so it's a little bit different. When Mike London was there, Mike London was our outside linebackers coach when I was there. So I had that connection with him.
Jim Reid is the defensive coordinator at Boston College and he was our head coach. Frank Leonard was our tight ends coach and he's the tight ends coach at BC as well. So I still see those guys.
Joe Douglas, who was a teammate of mine, he's now the director of personnel for the Eagles, who just won the Super Bowl. Joe Cullen is a D-line coach [with the Ravens]. He was our defensive coordinator. Jim Reid at BC. Frank Leonard at BC. Dwaune Jones was one of my teammates. He was actually my roommate basically for a year. He's a scout for the Ravens. For such a small school, there's a bunch of Richmond people in the NFL. There's another scout with the Lions too. Josh Vaughan.
Â
JV: Explain to people what the days leading up to the draft are like for you?
TM: My scouting work is basically done. I just printed 367 evaluations. I spent the last weekend going over NFL teams and updating the needs now that free agency is over. Basically I've got two big notebooks. One is NFL teams and their draft trends and what they need. And then a 367-page book on all the evaluations. Every player has his own page.
Now it shifts to 100 percent television, radio, and media. [ESPN] comes up with a schedule that goes from the 8:00 AM hour and it's broken up in 15-minute blocks until about usually seven or eight but some nights nine or ten o'clock if we're doing a SportsCenter Special. That's the daily. I'll have an hour conference call with a hundred people sitting on the line and where ESPN just picks off one after another and I'm answering questions. Today I've got two or three more radio hits. I've got 12 or 13 hits between NFL Live and SportsCenters and Get Up and SportsCenters at night and SportsCenter Specials.
Basically I've moved into the DoubleTree. I've got a room for 21 nights. I'll go down Wednesday to Dallas and I'll fly back early Sunday. We do more shows Sunday and then Monday we're in all day long and then I drive home and reintroduce myself to my wife and kids.
Â
Jason Vida (Associate Director of Athletic Public Relations): When is the first time you realized that the University of Richmond has a quarterback who is going to be a NFL Draft prospect?
Todd McShay (UR Class of 1999, ESPN NFL Draft Analyst): Every year we get a scouting list of thousands of players. They have grades on them, but it's more so just, 'OK – these are the guys who could potentially be first few rounds. These are the guys that are later rounds. These are the guys that maybe have some injury stuff.' All that. Basically if you have a pulse and you're about to be a senior you're going to be on this list somewhere. But Kyle was somewhere in that range where he could potentially be a draftable quarterback.
I only scout about 120, 130 players in the preseason on tape. Just to kind of get a baseline. He was not one of them. But then he was playing well and a couple scouts – basically because I think they knew I went to Richmond – just kind of shot me texts during the season. I want to say around October is when I finally started to do a little work on him. Not a ton. I think just one game. And I liked some of what I saw. And then I did another game on him before I went to the Senior Bowl, knowing that he was going to be there. And then during the week of the Senior Bowl – both from watching what I saw from him in practice and the reports I was getting back from the coaching staff that he was working with and the scouts that were meeting with him on how quickly he was processing information, how bright he was, how consistent he was – I thought he was the most consistent quarterback in terms of his accuracy and decision-making throughout the entire week of practice. I flew home on Friday as most scouts do and then watched the game on TV Saturday and he obviously was MVP of the game. From that point on, it became 'Alright, now I've got to go back and really dig' and I wound up watching every throw he made this past year. ... I'm not going to give Kyle any higher or lower grade because of us going to the same school and the fact that he could be the first quarterback since 1975 drafted out of Richmond. But I definitely want to make sure I represent him well and make sure I have all the information possible because he's a guy I'm proud of and excited for.
Â
JV: As a scout, what's your big-picture take on him as an NFL prospect?
TM: I think he has a chance to develop into a starter in the league. So much is dependent on where he goes, the opportunities he gets, staying healthy. Everything timing up. With every prospect, not just him.
But the way I grade is – in my mind, based on what I've evaluated – 'Is he projected to be an immediate starter and a perennial All-Pro player?' That's the highest, in the 95 and above range. Then the second level is 'Is this guy going to be a starter early in his career and be a good starter throughout?' Then there's 'Does he project as an eventual starter but may not be ready right away to start?' That's where I would put Kyle. In my opinion, those are the players you draft on Day Two. I think in the second, third round you should be drafting starters. Guys that may not start year one but in the first two or three years they're going to be a starter and you think you're going to get them to that point.
I have a second-third round grade on him but my guess is that he's going to go in the second round as quarterbacks always get pushed up a little bit. This year's class is loaded at the top. You've got four top-end, high-quality quarterbacks in Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield, in no specific order. And then Lamar Jackson is kind of that wildcard. There's a lot of different opinions on him but I think he's going to be a first-round pick. And then that next tier to me is Mason Rudolph and Lauletta.
Â
JV: Is there a recent prospect or current NFL guy Kyle reminds you of? Everyone says Jimmy Garoppolo, because of playing in the FCS, but is there a guy YOU see when you look at his tape?
TM: Garoppolo's not a bad one. I don't think Kyle is quite as agile as Jeff Garcia. … He's got kind of a unique delivery, but he gets it out quickly. He kind of fits in that West Coast style. Case Keenum would be a decent comparison.
Â
JV: Half of this is your evaluation of the player and half of this is what you're hearing from NFL teams. Are there a couple teams where you think he would be a good fit?
TM: Everyone has made the New England connection, and it makes sense. The lacrosse thing. Navy – his dad and his uncle. More importantly, if you're going to bring in a young quarterback to develop you're going to need someone who can hold up mentally with Tom Brady. And let's face it, as a backup early in your career for an established starter, especially a guy like Brady, you're basically going to quarterback grade school. It's all about homework and 'what project does Tom have for me today?' You've got to be a guy that's willing to put in the work and intelligent enough to understand what Tom's looking for. I think that would be a good place.
I think the Chargers. I think the Saints with New Orleans would be a great place for him. In that division, you've got really good weather or you're indoors. You've got a very bright mind in your head coach in Sean Payton. And you're learning behind one of the best [Drew Brees].
Â
JV: Have you heard anything from any teams that surprised you about him?
TM: The thing that stands out is the more teams have been around him and have worked with him mentally – put him on the board or peppered him with play-calling and how he processes information, can he regurgitate an installation, those sorts of things – they've been really impressed.
Â
JV: Do you see the stigma of playing against FCS competition decreasing at all as guys like Jimmy Garoppolo and Carson Wentz have success in the NFL?
TM: I think you have have to excel (on the field), but it's really important that you kill the process too. Garoppolo was really productive. Dominated his level of competition, elevated his team. And then, during the draft process, he went to the East-West Shrine Game. He wasn't initially invited to the Senior Bowl but then A.J. McCarron said 'no' and he took his spot and obviously would up getting drafted higher than [McCarron]. I think it's really important you excel because there are more questions that you want to get answered.
I think Wentz went to a small high school and didn't have a lot of exposure in recruiting. But even with him it took people a long time to come around on him. I can remember taking heat from people: 'Well, he did it against the FCS. He broke his wrist. Doesn't have a ton of playing time. Etcetera, etcetera.' I just think you have to overcome more [coming from the FCS]. But at the end of the day, if you can play you can play.
It's hard to grade out any higher than Kyle has with what he's got to work with physically and mentally.
Â
JV: During the season, do you get to follow Richmond football at all?
TM: I definitely check in weekly to see the scores. Not many of my coaches are still there, so it's a little bit different. When Mike London was there, Mike London was our outside linebackers coach when I was there. So I had that connection with him.
Jim Reid is the defensive coordinator at Boston College and he was our head coach. Frank Leonard was our tight ends coach and he's the tight ends coach at BC as well. So I still see those guys.
Joe Douglas, who was a teammate of mine, he's now the director of personnel for the Eagles, who just won the Super Bowl. Joe Cullen is a D-line coach [with the Ravens]. He was our defensive coordinator. Jim Reid at BC. Frank Leonard at BC. Dwaune Jones was one of my teammates. He was actually my roommate basically for a year. He's a scout for the Ravens. For such a small school, there's a bunch of Richmond people in the NFL. There's another scout with the Lions too. Josh Vaughan.
Â
JV: Explain to people what the days leading up to the draft are like for you?
TM: My scouting work is basically done. I just printed 367 evaluations. I spent the last weekend going over NFL teams and updating the needs now that free agency is over. Basically I've got two big notebooks. One is NFL teams and their draft trends and what they need. And then a 367-page book on all the evaluations. Every player has his own page.
Now it shifts to 100 percent television, radio, and media. [ESPN] comes up with a schedule that goes from the 8:00 AM hour and it's broken up in 15-minute blocks until about usually seven or eight but some nights nine or ten o'clock if we're doing a SportsCenter Special. That's the daily. I'll have an hour conference call with a hundred people sitting on the line and where ESPN just picks off one after another and I'm answering questions. Today I've got two or three more radio hits. I've got 12 or 13 hits between NFL Live and SportsCenters and Get Up and SportsCenters at night and SportsCenter Specials.
Basically I've moved into the DoubleTree. I've got a room for 21 nights. I'll go down Wednesday to Dallas and I'll fly back early Sunday. We do more shows Sunday and then Monday we're in all day long and then I drive home and reintroduce myself to my wife and kids.
Â
Players Mentioned
QB
/ FootballFootball Weekly Press Conference - October 8th
Wednesday, October 08
Football vs Bucknell Postgame
Saturday, October 04
Football Highlights vs. Howard
Saturday, September 27
Football vs Howard Postgame
Saturday, September 27