Military-school players rarely go to the NFL and have great success. Roger Staubach is really the only NFL great who everyone knows, as he played for Navy back in the early 60s. But QB Keenan Reynolds is a special player. After breaking the all-time Division-I rushing touchdowns record, does he have a legitimate shot at a pro future, and where will he go in the 2016 NFL Draft?
First, we must look at what he could be in the NFL. Obviously, running the triple-option in college doesn't say much for a quarterback. In four years as the starter, he's only thrown about one season's worth of passes. Reynolds is 227-of-431 (52.7 percent) for 3,762 yards, 29 TDs and eight interceptions.
Sure, the TD:INT ratio is exceptional, but that's just how it is running this offense because they simply don't pass all that much -- averaging just about nine pass attempts per game.
Clearly, he won't be a quarterback at the NFL level.
But, Reynolds could be a fantastic running back. Truly, he has the skills, vision and accomplishment to do so.
In 49 career games, he's ran for over 4,400 yards and the FBS-FCS rushing touchdown record of 85 TD runs -- assuming he doesn't add anymore before the end of today's game. While it won't be official until the NFL Combine, his latest 40 time is a 4.56, which is respectable. His fastest time, however, was recorded at 4.45, which is a much better number. If he proves to be able to run that 4.4 speed during this offseason, his draft stock should climb.
Currently, based upon where you look, he's ranked as high as the 12th best running back (NFLDraftScout.com) and as low as the 20th (CBSSports.com). Ultimately, the eye test says he's pretty spectacular.
He may not be the fastest guy in the draft, but his vision and decision-making ability is top-notch. Expect him to get a shot to prove himself at the next level as he will likely be taken in the middle rounds of the draft.
