Brad Kaaya's timed speed is a mystery, and it just might stay that way.
A turf toe injury on his right foot that he's dealt with since October prevented the former Miami quarterback from running a 40-yard dash at the combine and at UM's pro day workout on Wednesday, per the Palm Beach Post. That will leave NFL clubs to come to their own conclusions about his wheels, unless he's persuaded to run the 40 at private workouts.
Kaaya told the Post that he felt "really good" during the workout. The injury doesn't prevent him from throwing; indeed, he threw at the combine in Indianapolis as well, albeit unimpressively.
While Kaaya has the kind of arm that presents an attractive option for NFL clubs looking for a developmental prospect at quarterback, he's not known as a rushing threat and doesn't rely much at all on speed. Former Chicago Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel suggested a measure of skepticism could be warranted.
Kaaya isn't the only QB prospect in the 2017 draft class to miss 40-yard dash testing at both the combine and on pro day. Iowa's C.J. Beathard didn't run at either opportunity, citing a hamstring injury from Iowa's Outback Bowl appearance. Of the 15 quarterbacks at the combine, 12 tested in the 40-yard dash. Kaaya, Beathard and Baylor's Seth Russell did not. Russell missed the combine 40 testing as he continues to recover from an ankle dislocation.
If the right club, at the right time, puts Kaaya through a private workout before the April 27-29 NFL draft, perhaps at least one team will get a chance to put Kaaya on the clock. Absent that, the Hurricanes' three-year starter will force them to focus on a much more valuable attribute: his arm.
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