Jets Meet With Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly, Report Says
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Jets appear to be entertaining the idea of drafting a quarterback for the third year in a row.
The team met with Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly on Wednesday night, USA Today reported.
Quarterback is the biggest question mark facing the Jets entering the offseason, although Kelly is likely not being viewed as a potential 2017 starter.
The Jets aren't expected to try to re-sign free agents Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith. That leaves Bryce Petty, who was shaky in his handful of appearances last season, and Christian Hackenberg, a project player who didn't take a snap in 2016, as the only QBs under contract. New York drafted Petty in the fourth round in 2015 and selected Hackenberg in the second round last year.
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Kelly, the nephew of Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, is not participating in the Senior Bowl after tearing the ACL in his right knee in November, but he has been making the rounds in the week leading up to the game, also reportedly talking to representatives with the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.
In nine games as a senior, Kelly passed for 2,758 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Over 13 games in 2015, he threw for 4,042 yards with 31 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. That season, the Rebels won the Sugar Bowl and finished ranked 10th in the Associated Press poll -- their best final ranking in 46 years.
According to CBS' NFLDraftScout.com, the 6-foot-2, 224-pound Kelly has "top-shelf arm strength" and quick feet, but his decision making is sometimes poor. NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah projected in November that Kelly would be selected in the seventh round of April's draft.
Kelly began his college career with Clemson in 2013 but was kicked off the team after arguing with coaches, pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and allegedly being involved in a couple of off-the-field fights.
He then spent a season at East Mississippi Community College -- best known for being the subject of the Netflix documentary series "Last Chance U" -- before landing at Ole Miss.
Last month, the New York Daily News reported that the Jets are "infatuated" with North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky.