Collin Klein wrapped up his college career in a loss to the Oregon Ducks on Thursday night. Could Klein's fortunes completely turn sour after a great college career as the 23-year-old quarterback plays a lot like Tim Tebow?
Let's start with their physiques. Klein is 6' 5" and weighs 225 pounds. Tebow is a little stockier at 6' 3" and 236 pounds. They are fairly similar, but you have to give Klein the edge for being taller which gives him a better chance to look down field.
Now, as far as playing styles, both guys are also similar, which can't be good news for Klein since teams are trying to stay as far as they can from Tebow.
One thing many will say and some will dispute, is that Tebow has a bad windup which delays his passing and ultimately costs him complete passes. Check out the clip we found on YouTube. This is from a game against the Oakland Raiders in Week 15 of 2010. Yes, he was a Denver Bronco. We all know Tebow didn't throw in 2012.
At one point, even the announcer is shocked at timestamp 7:57, "Who says Tim Tebow can't throw the ball Steve?!" Well there's a whole bunch of guys in New York who don't think so.
This clip focuses solely on Tebow's throwing. While in college and playing for the Florida Gators, he got away with this throwing style. Tebow was being bred as a running and gunning type of quarterback, though not speedy, he used his strength to punish defenders.
Here are Tebow's college stats.
Passing- 661 completions, 9,285 yards, 88 TDs and 16 INTs.
Rushing- 692 attempts, 2,947 yards and 57 TDs.
When studying Klein's passing and release, it's like staring at a completely different animal. In some respects, it's even worse than Tebow's windup. There are some quarterbacks who occasionally go to the sidearm delivery like Matt Stafford of the Detroit Lions, just to change the angle for defenders, but Klein is a different story.
Here are some passes mixed into Klein highlights.
His arm isn't the strongest, but boy the kid is accurate, which might give him the edge over Tebow.
Here's a look at the numbers Klein piled up while playing for the Wildcats. At one point, he was even considered a front runner in the Heisman Trophy race.
Passing: 370 attempts, 4,724 yards, 30 TDs, 15 INTs
Rushing: 601 attempts, 2,485 yards, 56 TDs
Klein is run heavy and if we have learned anything from Michael Vick it's that running quarterbacks barely survive. What we learned from Tebow is that running quarterbacks who can barely throw become backups.
Klein didn't show signs of clutch late in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game. Either the coaching staff didn't feel they could win or they simply wanted to take control in the final quarter of the game. Their chances of winning were slim, but it was still only a two-possession game.
There was no sense of urgency from Klein and ultimately, his college career ended with an interception which completely sealed the deal on his days as a Wildcat.
As more NFL offenses continue to develop, maybe Klein will find the right team and shine like Robert Griffin III. However, after his Tostito Fiesta Bowl performance, Klein's future resembles that of Tebow's more than anything else.
