Northwestern's Profile for Mike Kafka

Mike is a 2005 graduate of St. Rita H.S. in Chicago where he was listed as a SuperPrep All-Midwest Region and Rivals.com Top 25 dual-threat quarterback coming out. He was also tabbed the 50th-best QB nationally by SuperPrep and ranked No. 25 in overall Illinois player rankings. Mike was also an Honorable mention all-state selection and his team's Offensive MVP. He also picked up the Chicago Sun-Times and Daily Southtown honorable mention all-area honors as well as academic All-State recognition. Helped lead his high school team to three conference championships and a four-year mark of 35-8. As a senior, he completed 75-of-129 passes for 1,004 yards and 10 touchdowns and ran for 806 yards (144 carries, 5.6 ypc) and 5 TDs. All together, he tallied 1,816 yards of total offense and 16 TDs. Mike was also named captain of St. Rita's football and baseball teams and the named to the school's Silver Honor Roll all four years.

At Northwestern, he DNP in 2005 while reshirting. In 2006, he started the first four games at quarterback before suffering a hamstring injury in the second half of the Nevada contest and made only one other appearance in a cameo role that season after that. In 2007, as a redshirt sophomore, Mike was the backup quarterback and played very sparingly in his reserve role. He played most of the fourth quarter against Northeastern and totaled 11 passing yards (2-of-2 passing), and he had one pass attempt and 8 rushing yards at Ohio State. As a redshirt junior, Kafka was again the backup quarterback and completed 32-of-46 pass attempts for 330 yards and two TD's while ranking second on the team with 321 rushing yards. Had a breakout season in 2009,

Good ball skills and footwork. Quick release. Very accurate in the 10-20 yard range. Smart game manager who can run away from pressure and can find throwing lanes. Carries out fakes. Uses his eyes as a weapon. Understands touch and feathering. Can really lay the ball over defenders. Throws a very catchable ball. Smart, and plays smart. Has really grown as a QB, and still has some upside remaining. Can run a little.

System QB in a way. Must be able to leave the pocket on a fairly frequent basis and throw that medium range pass through clear lanes. Pea shooter and "death by a thousand cuts" type. Loses accuracy quickly the further beyond 20 yards he attempts to throw. May struggle with batted balls if expected to constantly just drop back and be a pocket passer. 3/4 delivery. Ball lacks velocity and must not be thrown where defenders are in close contact.

Not an exciting physical package, but a very exciting intangibles/head guy. Deserves to be in a camp, and I'd personally draft him late if I needed a #3.

Your Projected NFL Draft Round: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Undrafted

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