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Former Mississippi State and Stanford QB KJ Costello has met with the Chargers, Saints, Patriots and Eagles.
Will be interesting to see where he lands after a record-breaking start to the 2020 season and good pro day showings at San Jose State, Mississippi State.
— Crissy Froyd (@crissy_froyd) April 5, 2021
Here’s another name for the list of 2021 draft prospects contacted by the Saints: Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello, who has been picking up steam after recent throwing sessions in front of NFL scouts. LSU Wire’s Crissy Froyd reports that Costello has also spoken with the Chargers, Eagles, and Patriots in addition to his meeting with New Orleans.
Costello transferred to Mississippi State after three years at Stanford, but an initially-impressive start against LSU in the season opener didn’t quite set the tone. Five of his six touchdown passes on the year came in that upset against the defending national champs, and he ended up missing four weeks between a concussion and COVID-19 exposure. He wasn’t allowed to do much within the constraints of Mike Leach’s limited Air Raid offense, which SEC defenses figured out in a hurry.
So where is he projected to be drafted? Costello has good size (6-foot-4 and 225 pounds) but poor athleticism, along with inconsistent college performance. While he has the profile of a late-round flyer like his predecessor Tommy Stevens — cut from the Saints practice squad after failing to convert to tight end — the priority teams feel to acquire quarterbacks and maybe some optimism that he can flourish in a better situation could see him go higher, maybe earlier on the draft’s third and final day.
Right now, the Saints have a vacancy at the end of their depth chart. Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill are slated for a training camp battle to start. Adding someone like Costello to compete with Trevor Siemian to back them up as the team’s third-string quarterback makes sense. Keep an eye out for him on draft day.
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