Stanford QB Costello has time to salvage NFL draft stock

It already sounds like ancient history.

But if you think back to when the 2020 NFL mock drafts first started popping up, many of them included Stanford QB K.J. Costello as a potential first rounder.

Much has changed since then.

Costello (6-foot-5, 222 pounds) entered the season on the Davey O’Brien, Maxwell Award, Johnny Unitas and the Manning Award watch lists. But a concussion knocked him out of the season opener and caused him to miss several games. Once he returned, the senior suffered a hand injury following losses to UCF and Oregon.

Finally, Costello had a breakout game in Stanford’s last contest, passing for 322 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions while completing 70.5 percent of his passes in the team’s 41-31 win over Arizona.

Stanford followed that up with a bye week.

Now healthy and rested, Costello has a “… chance to salvage what has been a frustrating final season on the whole,” writes NFL draft analyst Eric Edholm,  who also says the QB has the size and experience in a pro-style offense that teams are looking for.

“NFL teams appreciate his toughness and intelligence and believe there’s a prospect in there. Can Costello keep it going Saturday? It could be a big game for him with the Cardinal sitting at 4-4 and needing every win they can earn to gain bowl eligibility with a tough schedule after that,” Costello said.

Stanford plays at Colorado on Saturday.