I had a chance to watch every snap from Staub, Wade, Taylor, and Kuld. These guys are fighting for QB2. Where's my scouting report on all 4 QBs.
I'll start with the CU QBs
Ryan Staub -
6'1 200 - lean frame, strong base, decent arm for this level of play, high Football IQ, good footwork, quick release, nice accuracy within a clean pocket, best throwing on the move, struggles when coverage is tight, doesn't throw into tight windows well, prefers to see a WR open than anticipate his WR getting open, limited pre-snap abilities, decent post snap processor, good feel for the pocket, does a lot of damage with intermediate routes even with limited reps. Athletically is decent. Good agility, average speed, and average elusiveness. His strengths are movement, football IQ, and his release. His weaknesses are size, arm talent, and upside.
College Potential: High. NFL Potential: Non-Existent. If all works out well, his player comp is Todd Reesing. What's my expectation: I don't see him as a modern top 10 QB, but in a conference like the Big XII, two tiers below the SEC and B1G, he could develop into a good starting QB at this level. That said, with CU's expectations, I don't see him ever starting.
Gavin Kuld -
6'6 215 - lean frame, weak base, solid arm for this level of play, average Football IQ, poor footwork, decent release, poor release, poor feel for the position, didn't go through progression, really didn't see a FBS QB in limited reps. Solid athlete. Moves well for his size but is weak. Agility is below average, speed is decent for size. Looks like a D2 QB. Strengths: Size, he does move well for his height, and his arm strength is good at this level. Weaknesses: QBing, I didn't see an adequate processor, accuracy, limited ceiling.
College Potential: Below Average. NFL Potential: Non-Existent. If all works out well, his player comp is NA. He's a walk-on from JUCO with mediocre stats so just hitting the field at this level or the FCS is a massive accomplishment for this player. If he wants to play and get live reps, I suggest the mid-tier D2 or D3/NAIA route. I don't see a scholarship QB in his limited film.
Destin Wade -
6'4 223 - broad frame, very strong base, solid arm for this level of play, below average Football IQ, poor footwork, quick release, poor feel for the position, decision-making is average, decision-making dropped off like a rock when going through progressions, limited pre-snap and post-snap abilities, accuracy was spotty, can deliver passes in tight space, don't anticipate and prefers to see it open, average processor, I liked his short passes for his release. Athletically: He might be the best on the team with Hunter. 4.5 speed based on his FR and he can get to 4.4 and maybe sub-4.4. Elite agility. Very good acceleration. Excellent elusiveness. Rare athlete.
College Potential: Elite. NFL Potential: 1st rounder. If all works out well, his player comp is Justin Fields. He's nowhere close based on his freshman game v. Iowa to the passer of Justin Fields but he's a better athlete and a lot of his issues really can be fixed by experience and development. Development is not linear. Coaching, scheme, and willingness to be coached, are all critical. Justin was an elite 7v7 passer even though he was extremely raw as a QB as a true freshman at UGA. Whereas Wade is also extremely raw but lightyears away from Fields as a passer. He's going to have to work on that. His accuracy is better than the stats read. You also have to watch this game. Iowa had all of their best guys starting on defense and Kentucky had a mix of starters, backups, and a scout teamer like Wade. He had a very difficult task.
I believe he more than Staub or Taylor has to win the backup job to showcase his value. He's not an NFL freak talent-wise like Taylor. He needs to win the backup job so when he comes in as a 2nd string QB, he can show that, Prime doesn't need to hit the portal to find his starter for next year. Development is not linear so he may not develop much but if he does, watch out. He is a rare athlete. Extremely rare. Strength: Elite athlete at the QB position, tremendous frame, not in Tebow/Hurts tier in terms of strength based on his Iowa tape but is in that next tier, isn't that far away from being a good college QB due to his athleticism and strength, gets the ball out quickly, can deliver the ball in tight spaces, and can make difficult throws that protect his receiver. Weaknesses: Poor QB, more of an athlete playing QB at this stage, needs years of development (didn't play last year and that's needed), needs elite work ethic and a legit OC/QB coach to become what he may envision himself to me.
Walter Taylor -
6'7 239, slender frame with broad shoulders, strong base, elite arm for this level of play, average Football IQ, poor footwork, decent release, average feel for the position, decision-making is horrendous, decent pre-snap abilities, poor post-snap abilities, accuracy was poor, can deliver passes in tight space, don't anticipate and prefers to see it open, average processor, effortless arm strength. Lefty. Controlling his bazooka is probably his biggest struggle. His upside just doesn't come around that often. He has the most upside on this roster as a QB and that includes the likely #1 overall pick in 2025, Shedeur Sanders. Athletically: Excellent. 4.5 speed based on his film last year and he can get to 4.4. Good agility for size. Elite acceleration for size. Average elusiveness. Needs to get stronger, doesn't break tackles. Needs to get to 250-255. Rare athlete for his size if he can get stronger.
College Potential: Very High. NFL Potential: Top 10. If all works out well, his player comp is Josh Allen. He's probably a 7th rounder right now if he entered the draft just due to his insane upside. He does have two tremendous flaws and these are the two hardest to fix. Accuracy and decision-making skills. This is extremely difficult to fix. Pat Shurmur has his work cut out for him on Taylor. He's not a bad QB. It's clear he has positives to work on and his intelligence is exceptional in general. He's going to get better. Strength: Athleticism combined with arm strength with intelligence is a Josh Allen pairing. That's HARD to find. Doesn't have bad QB skills, just not any good yet. Weakness: Needs to get stronger and bigger, accuracy, control over arm strength, and decision making. What he lacks is difficult to fix but what he has is extremely hard to find. Needs more development. He will catch the scouts' eyes every time they come to see CU practice.
My final take: Staub is the best QB on the roster after 2 as he's at least an average QB at this level going into his true sophomore year. After that, it becomes difficult. Taylor and Wade are both below-average QBs atm from what we have. That said, if Kulb was on the heels of Staub. He needs to be truly scared of Taylor and Wade. Both players have tremendous college upside and Taylor has tremendous NFL potential if he hits. The QB room has tremendous talent inside of it now. While it's unknown what is to come of each player in this room, I know one thing, we now have the talent in this room that we did not have last year after 2.
