Chad Kelly emerged as the Mr. Irrelevant (a title bestowed on the last NFL draft pick for each year) of the 2017 NFL draft. Denver Broncos saved the quarterback from the draw by scoring in the 7th round of the NFL draft Draft 2017 selected 25th overall (final pick). He previously played college football at Clemson University and Ole Miss. Learn more about him below.
Chad Kelly’s biography
Kelly was born Chad Patrick Kelly on the 26th of March 1994 to Charlene Cudzylo and Kevin Kelly. His father’s older brother is a former NFL quarterback, Jim Kelly, who spent most of his professional career with the Buffalo Bills.
Chad spent his early childhood years in Western New York (his mother’s homeland), not far from where Jim (his uncle) lived and played soccer. He visited his uncle regularly and over time he developed an interest in the game. He was soon performing in kick, pass, and punt competitions. Due to his father’s job as a supermarket manager, he was soon transferred to another branch of the supermarket in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, so the family moved to the area.
Career Stats, Highlights
Kelly attended Red Lion High School, where he played on the school’s football team, but was soon removed from the team after unexplained disciplinary action, forcing him to return to Western New York. Back in western New York, he attended St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Tonawanda, where he also played with the school’s soccer team.
As a junior, he rushed for 1,059 yards on fifteen touchdowns and 2,159 yards on twenty-four touchdowns, and as a senior he rushed for 3,050 yards on twenty-seven touchdowns and 991 yards on fourteen touchdowns. Rivals.com rated him a 4-star recruit and he was also ranked among the top double threat QBs in his senior class.
He immediately transferred to East Mississippi Community College, where he spent a year on the football team. During his one season with the team, he appeared in a total of 12 games, passing for 3,906 yards with eight stops and forty-seven touchdowns. He led the team to victory in the NJCAA National Football Championship and a 12-0 record.
In December of that year (2014), he committed to the University of Mississippi and was named starting quarterback in his freshman year. At the end of his freshman season with the team, he averaged 65.1% completions for thirty-one touchdowns and thirteen interceptions and finished with a 10-3 record as the first Ole Miss QB who led the Rebels to victories over LSU, Auburn and Alabama, in the same season.
Chad Kelly would end his main season early after suffering an ACL tear and a meniscus tear. He became the Mr. Irrelevant of the 2017 NFL Draft after Denver Broncos picked him 253rd overall in the 7th round of the draft. However, he was placed on the reserve/non-football injured list after wrist surgery in the off-season.
He appeared in minicamp with the team for the 2018 season and fought for the backup QB position with Paxton Lynch behind Case Keenum. In August, the team announced their promotion to the second team, where he will serve as Keenum’s backup team.
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More facts about Chad Kelly
The Broncos quarterback stands at 6’1″ and weighs 95 kg, which is 209 pounds.
Kelly was arrested outside a nightclub in AmsterdamBuffalo, New York in 2014 after an argument with a bouncer. When authorities picked him up, he resisted arrest. He was originally charged with a felony, but those charges were later dropped and he was charged with disorderly conduct, for which he required fifty hours of community service.
He was once in a relationship with Nicole Bell, but the two broke up for an unknown reason and moved on with their lives. Bell is currently in a relationship with Zac Hauther and it seems to Chad that he’s more focused on his career at the moment.