As NFL Draft approaches, former Spiders quarterback Kyle Lauletta waits for 'surreal moment'
JOHN O'CONNOR·22 minutes ago
Thirty-eight former University of Richmond players have been selected in the NFL Draft since its 1936 inception. In the first five rounds, 15 were chosen. That number may increase by one after the 2018 edition, which begins Thursday night with the first round and continues its seven-round process Friday and Saturday.
Quarterback Kyle Lauletta, the Spiders' career passing leader, is projected to be picked between the second and fifth rounds, according to various sources. Lauletta, a 6-foot-3 215-pounder from Exton, Pa., said he intends to privately watch the draft with family at his home, though multiple media members have requested to share the moment and capture his reaction.
"I'm excited. It has been a long time coming," said Lauletta. "I just want to be in football mode again instead of just waiting around, trying to figure out where I'm going to be. It'll be really cool knowing I'm going to hang my hat on this organization and I'm going to work hard and belong to an NFL franchise."
At Richmond last season, Lauletta completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,737 yards and 28 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions. He is known for his maturity, poise, leadership, work ethic, and football IQ, as well as his passing accuracy and anticipation that compensate for arm strength that some scouts question.
In addition to the excitement connected to learning what team will draft him, Lauletta is eager to discover what NFL city will become his home starting next week.
"That's going to be a great feeling, getting to go to a team's camp and meet the other players and start developing those relationships,"said Lauletta. "As far as moving, the one good thing is you surround yourself with people who have (been involved in assisting players) before. You never want to go into a situation alone where you don't know where to live, or something like that."
Lauletta's process of preparing for the NFL Draft began with training at IMG Academy, a well-known workout operation in Florida. He was named the Senior Bowl's most outstanding player in late January, returned to Florida for additional training, participated in the NFL Combine in early March, and then passed in front of a gathering of scouts at Richmond's Pro Day in mid-March.
"Obviously we didn't have the season we wanted (Richmond finished 6-5, 4-4 in the CAA). Ending early, while it was very disappointing, it kind of helped me out because I was able to get a head start on, one, my body," said Lauletta. "A lot of these (NFL prospects), they were banged up. I was healthy. I didn't have any serious injuries, any injuries at all, really, (in 2017). Then it came down to starting to train. Get bigger, get faster, get stronger, and kind of refine all of your skills, and IMG was the perfect place for that."
Lauletta attended Richmond's spring game last Saturday, and then drove home to Pennsylvania. Sunday night, he took time to answer questions from The Times-Dispatch.
Had you been told at this time last year "You are expected to be selected in the 2018 NFL Draft," would that have struck you as surprising?
I think for me, it wouldn't have been surprising. I'm quietly confident about myself and I like it that not a ton of people were talking about me. I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you I've envisioned it. I've visualized it. I've really worked towards it. It's always been my goal. I didn't know it would come on quite like this.
I just think the chain of events for me was different. First of all, getting the invite to the Senior Bowl was huge in itself, and then going out there and performing and getting named MVP, it changed a lot for me.
How did your stock as an NFL prospect rapidly rise after your senior season ended?
I thought the Senior Bowl, obviously, went well. That's been the huge elevator in this whole process for me, doing really well in that game. I was confident going into it, and I'm glad it worked out the way it did because it definitely helped me and it gave me a lot of positive buzz and feedback from coaches.
The combine was more of a lot of the things we did at the Senior Bowl as far as the meetings and stuff. You're doing some testing and some throws instead of playing in a game. Pro Day was good. I thought I had a solid ending to the whole thing. Other than that, I've just been back and forth from home and Richmond, doing private workouts, and those have gone well, too.
Estimate how many times in the last month you have been asked, "What round do you think you will be drafted?"
I'd say 20 or 30 people I've heard that from.
So, what round do you think you'll be drafted?
I don't know. It's hard to pick a round because I think the only thing you do by anticipating going in a certain round is set yourself up for disappointment. I think I have the potential to be a third-rounder, or maybe an outside shot at the second round. But it doesn't really matter to me. I'll be accepting and I'll be excited. It's going to be a surreal moment. Obviously, I want to get taken as soon as I can. I'm just going to wait patiently. You never know. Guys go earlier than they think, and then guys fall. We'll wait and see.
What thoughts are going through your head as draft week has arrived?
I'm just anxious. There are so many possibilities, so I'm just curious. I have no clue whatsoever. Nobody knows. It's a crazy feeling. You think to yourself, 'Maybe this place, maybe that place.' But you just don't know.
