The Denver Broncos made pretty much as big of a splash as you can with the last pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. With the 253rd overall selection, they took quarterback Chad Kelly from Ole Miss.
Kelly will wear No. 6 for the Broncos. A man that also formerly wore that number in orange and blue, joined Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro during Afternoon Drive on Mile High Sports Radio to discuss Kelly. Don’t worry, it’s not Mark Sanchez. Fret not, Jay Cutler did not start his media career on our airwaves. Instead, it was two-time Super Bowl champion Bubby Brister.
“He better represent, right?” asked Brister of the man that will inherit his number.
Brister has seen Kelly play and has come away impressed.
“I watched him play in college several times,” Brister said. “He’s a big, strong kid, got a strong arm, obviously has good bloodlines.”
Chad Kelly’s uncle is Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly‘s nephew. Brister thinks if he hadn’t have gotten hurt, he would have been more highly regarded.
“I thought a year ago, if he came out of the draft as a junior, he might be a top-three round pick,” he said. “Then he got hurt and he’s had some other issues off the field. I think he’s doing a lot better after talking to Jim.”
Kelly also had off-the-field issues, which saw him arrested and dismissed from the Clemson football team. Now that those are behind him, Brister thinks that he can not only make the team, but make an impact.
“He’s tough, he’s a leader, he’s got a strong enough arm to play in the league. I think he just needs a chance to be around the right players in the right system,” Brister said. “I think he’ll make the team. Then, once you make the team and you start growing as a quarterback, anything’s possible.”
In fact, two or three years down the line, Brister thinks Kelly could be the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.
“I don’t see why not. Now, if he’s still with the Broncos and the organization, with the way that John [Elway] runs the team, [he] would have a very good chance to be successful,” he said. “If he ends up on another team – the Cleveland Browns, or somewhere like that – it’s much more difficult.”
Kelly has compared himself to Brett Favre and John Elway. For Brister, that might be a little bit of a stretch; but he does have a huge arm. Now, that enabled Kelly to force some throws in college. He might have to temper his confidence a bit to be successful at the next level.
“Getting away with it in college and the pros is a different story,” Brister said. “He’s probably going to need to be a little more cautious, hit the check downs, and play a little smarter.”
Listen to the full interview with Bubby Brister, including who he would take at quarterback if he had to win one game, in the podcast below.
Sorry – this audio content is no longer available.
Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro every weekday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.