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Kurt Kittner
SELECTED BY ST. LOUIS , ROUND 5, PICK 26, OVERALL PICK 158
QB | (6-1, 219, 4.9) | Illinois | COLLEGE STATS
By Pro Football WeeklyNotes: Played only four games at quarterback his senior year of high school before breaking his hand. Came back as a linebacker later in the year. Started five consecutive games at Illinois as an 18-year-old true freshman, completing 72-of-162 passes for 782 yards with one touchdown and seven interceptions. Also ran for 28 yards and two scores after taking away all the yardage he lost while being sacked. Really came into his own in '99, when he completed 216-396-2,702-24-5 and capped off the season by being named the MVP of the Micronpc.com bowl, in which Illinois routed Virginia. Team's MVP in 2000, when he completed 173-297-1,982-18-8 before being knocked out for the year with a concussion suffered in Game 10 vs. Ohio State. Kittner also rushed for 61 yards and two scores after rushing for a career-high 83 yards (one TD) in '99, when he also caught a 30-yard TD pass on a trick play. In '01, Kittner won second-team All-Big Ten honors and led the Illini to the Big Ten championship, starting every game and completing 207-374-2,994-23-13. Also rushed for two scores (38 rushes for minus-4 yards). Ended the year by getting off to a horrible start vs. Louisiana State in the Sugar Bowl but bounced back to throw four TD passes and almost got his team back in the game.Positives: Well-built with a solid, thick body. Has fine leadership qualities, work habits and intangibles. Will play hurt. Poised and can handle big-game pressure. Mentally and physically tough. Can play terribly early in a game and then rally his team. Will stand in against the rush and take hits. Has been coached by Ron Turner, a former NFL offensive coordinator and now Illinois' head coach, throughout his college career - and it shows. Generally sets up well and has good throwing mechanics. Shows good but not great timing, touch and anticipation of his receiver and generally throws a nice, tight pass. Has adequate arm strength and can zip the shorter routes. Is starting to learn to play within himself and to throw the ball away when nothing is there. Has played in very bad weather against outstanding competition.Negatives: Lacks great physical tools. Has just slightly above-average athletic ability and below-average mobility and scrambling ability. Does not have a top arm, and some of his deep passes will hang. Underthrows a lot of long passes, but in some instances this may be by design, so his receiver can come back for the ball. Streaky, somewhat erratic passer who has had some ice-cold stretches. Will bird dog his primary receiver way too often. Needs to do a better job of looking off his man. Gets quite a few passes batted down.Summary: Kittner is not the thrower or talent Jeff George was, nor is he as accurate and mobile as Tony Eason was. But Kittner has the intangibles and stability George lacked and is a tougher player than Eason. He's a Jack Trudeau-type prospect but better across the board.* Player biographies are provided by Pro Football Weekly.
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