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Kaleb Eleby NFL Draft Profile
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Kaleb Eleby Scouting ReportEleby has definite appeal as a quarterback prospect, but he’s not a particularly imposing physical specimen. He stands at around 6’1″, 210 pounds, and his frame is somewhat slight by NFL standards. He’s a little stocky, but not broadly built, and defenders can handle him with relative ease. Eleby has a similar profile. He’s not a complete liability, but mobility isn’t a strength for him, either. Despite being listed as a dual-threat quarterback out of high school, Eleby is not a particularly explosive or dynamic athlete. He doesn’t have much creation capacity or escapability, and his feet can be heavy in open space. Eleby has shown to effectively place short passes for RAC yardage, and he throws with impressive pace and precision at the short and intermediate levels. He’s very accurate hitting slants and crossers over the middle of the field. Eleby also actively manipulates ball placement to play to receiver leverage. Eleby has a great arm. It may not be elite, but the Western Michigan QB has the arm strength to push the ball over defenders and maximize calculated risks. He has a crisp, quick-throwing motion and can generate easy velocity in the short and intermediate ranges. Eleby appears to do some pre-snap work autonomously at times. He’s shown to anticipate route breaks, although he could improve his consistency in this area. He’s sharp in the quick game, and when in rhythm, Eleby can be a tough quarterback to stop. |
Areas for ImprovementEleby has a strong foundation with his poise and arm talent, he’s far from a perfect passer. Even with his general accuracy, Eleby can work to improve his mechanics. The Western Michigan QB’s base can be inconsistent at times. His feet have a large variance regarding where they’re set when he throws. Sometimes he’s too wide, and that can make longer passes more erratic. Eleby’s release can be incongruent at times, causing his passes to sail. His hips are occasionally stiff through rotations, limiting the amount of torque generated. Eleby gets happy feet under pressure at times, disrupting his launch platform and rhythm. To that end, he sometimes throws with his feet fading back, distorting his placement. Eleby can still improve mentally as well. The Western Michigan QB occasionally predetermines reads and tries to force throws into coverage. He also struggles to progress through multiple reads, and his timing can suffer as a result. Eleby fails to see looming defenders underneath and can put the ball at risk. His eyes also drop occasionally when he has to step forward to outlast rushers. On the flip side, there are times when he simply doesn’t feel the rush behind him. Eleby can lose his balance when attempting to evade pressure. He also doesn’t have great off-platform throwing ability. While he has good arm talent and strength, his arm isn’t overly elastic, and he’s not particularly flexible in off-platform situations. |
Kaleb Eleby Career at SchoolEleby soon became the backup to starting quarterback Jon Wassink. He sat for most of his true freshman season but managed to play five games in relief. Over that span, Eleby completed 92 of 147 passes for 1,092 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Eleby lit up the MAC as a redshirt sophomore. Although he only played six games, the Western Michigan QB still amassed 1,699 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just 2 interceptions while completing 64.5% of his passes. Eleby was eligible for the 2021 NFL Draft, but he ultimately chose to stay for his redshirt junior season. As of this writing, he’s started seven games in the 2021 season. Over that span, he’s completed 130 of 209 passes for 1,745 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 2 picks.
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Kaleb Eleby NFL Draft Player ProfileEleby is an interesting 2022 NFL Draft prospect who clearly has some withstanding NFL upside. He’s not the biggest passer or the most athletic, and there are physical limitations to take note of. He’s not a notable threat as a ball carrier, and other signal-callers provide more dynamic off-script ability as well. Eleby has some definite appeal. The Western Michigan QB has good arm strength, and it shows — both on quick passes and the deep ball. Eleby can generate velocity, and it’s impressive how accurate he is, considering how inconsistent his mechanics can be at times.. Eleby’s upside isn’t the highest. Additionally, his inconsistency going through progressions presents another potential limitation in structure. Eleby has a good foundation with his poise, arm strength, and accuracy. That said, he might max out as a spot-starter with quality backup utility.
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