K.J. Costello, QB, Mississippi State
Suddenly, the Air Raid is cool.
Some of the more well-known quarterbacks in the NFL today have their roots in the system. The two of the last three first overall draft picks came from such an offense, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Some of the concepts that Joe Burrow was running last season can be traced to that offensive school of thought. Of course Patrick Mahomes has his own background in the Air Raid offense.
When you think of that system, a name that comes to mind is Mike Leach. Two of his recent QBs are currently in the league, Gardner Minshew as the starter in Jacksonville, and Anthony Gordon, who went undrafted in 2020 but has a very real shot to stick in Seattle as a backup.
Leach has taken the pirate flag down to Starksville, as the new head coach of Mississippi State. The quotable head coach is not the only new face in town, as joining him on campus is K.J. Costello, a transfer in from Stanford. Over three years as the starter for the Stanford Cardinal Costello completed 63.5% of his passes for 5,834 yards and 46 touchdowns, against 16 interceptions. He flashes pro potential, but might need one more big year to truly improve his draft stock. That lies in front of him given the opportunity Leach’s offense presents – last year Gordon averaged a whopping 53 passing attempts a game – but without a season in 2020, Costello might not get that chance to put such a season, and all those passing reps, on film.