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Chances are this article could be pretty pointless by June 1st, but it's also not every day that a Heisman Trophy finalist joins your favorite team. Yes, Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein was signed yesterday by your Houston Texans as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Of course, the Texans currently employ Matt Schaub, T.J. Yates, Stephen McGee, and Case Keenum, so Klein's currently the fifth quarterback on the roster. However, the fact that Houston's giving him a chance to be a quarterback, as he has been determined to continue playing, is a big story...in April, as we head to Rookie Mini-Camp in May.
Let's take a look at Klein's numbers at Kansas State.
| Season | Passing | Rushing | Total Offense | Receiving | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comp | Att | Yds | Pct | TD | Int | Rating | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Yards | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||||
| 2009 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 100.0% | 0 | 0 | 326.8 | 1 | -8 | -8.0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 6 | 38 | 6.3 | 16 | 1 | |||
| 2010 | 11 | 18 | 138 | 61.1% | 1 | 0 | 143.8 | 76 | 432 | 5.7 | 51 | 6 | 570 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2011 | 161 | 281 | 1,918 | 57.3% | 13 | 6 | 125.6 | 317 | 1,141 | 3.6 | 63 | 27 | 3,059 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2012 | 180 | 272 | 2,490 | 66.2% | 15 | 7 | 156.18 | 194 | 890 | 4.6 | 34 | 22 | 3,380 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 354 | 572 | 4,573 | 61.9% | 29 | 13 | - | 588 | 2,455 | 4.0 | 63 | 55 | 7,083 | 6 | 38 | 6.3 | 16 | 1 |
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The passing numbers do make a jump, in terms of completion percentage, yards, and touchdowns. Overall, Klein's ability to run and finish runs are incredible, tying Ricky Williams' Big XII record for most rushing touchdowns in a season and Ricky Dobbs' FBS record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in 2011.
Compared to the other quarterbacks, with more pass-happy backgrounds, Klein's got a tall mountain to climb. There's a clear lack of experience in attempting passes, which shows itself in his mechanics. Anyone who has seen Klein throw knows it's an awkward-looking motion with sloppy footwork. Check it for yourself.
Colin Klein (Kansas State) Shrine Game (via Justis Mosqueda)
Yeah, that throwing motion is rough. It certainly can be fixed with time, coaching, repetition, and hard work, but that's rough. Klein takes too many unnecessary steps, his feet aren't set, his arm sort of winds up, his elbow's out wide, and it doesn't have the zip or distance it could if everything was tighter.
Why the interest in him besides being a Kansas State legend who finished third in Heisman Trophy voting in 2012? There's two. First, he's a smart, hard-working kid who is passionate about playing football. If you watched a Kansas State game in 2012, and you likely did seeing as Texas is Big XII country, then you've seen interviews with Klein and know this. Second, Klein's 6-foot-5, 226 pounds, and has similar Combine results numbers to athletic Florida tight end Jordan Reed. There's clearly something to work with here. The size and athleticism are there, Klein just has to show progress in mechanical improvement and the willingness to be coached up to stick at quarterback.
Even if Klein doesn't impress at rookie camp, Klein's size and athleticism could merit him consideration as a tight end/H-back hybrid. In 2009, Klein did play some wide receiver for the Wildcats, to the tune of six receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown, as the chart above indicates.
What say you, BRB? Does Klein have a realistic shot to grab Gary Kubiak's attention to be his next quarterback project or should Klein cut bait and make the move to tight end?
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