Where does Kain Colter fit in the NFL?

Coach Pat Fitzgerald and his Northwestern Wildcats had a bit of a disappointing 2013 football season.  The year started off in impressive fashion as the Wildcats won the 2013 Gator Bowl for their head coach, earning the Wildcat alum his first bowl victory as a head coach.  The game also served as a backdrop for the coach becoming the all-time leader in victories at Northwestern.  The Victory over their SEC foe, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, proved to be an exciting one as the Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 34-20 at EverBank field in Florida.

As the new season began the expectations were high for the Wildcats, as they were returning a great deal of talent and were in a group of three teams that were pegged to be very successful in the Big Ten in 2013.  The hype was high for the Wildcats, along with Urban Meyer’s Ohio State Buckeyes, as well as first year head coach Gary Anderson and his Wisconsin Badgers.  Unfortunately for these three squads, in an odd twist of fate, they all ran into one another in the beginning weeks of the Big Ten football season.  The Wildcats got the short end of the stick losing to both the Badgers and the Buckeyes.

Still, with a gifted squad, Fitzgerald and his players had a lot of football to play and a lot to prove.  Unfortunately for the team, they never came together to accomplish their goals as a squad in 2013, but none the less there were some impressive performances by some young men who may be looking to extend their career at the next level.

One of these players is senior Kain Colter, who has been Mr. Everything for the Wildcats.  Colter has been the consummate team player throughout his career in Evanston.  Colter came out of High School as a three-star recruit from Colorado.  Colter was a standout High School quarterback known for his dual threat abilities.  Upon his arrival in Evanston, it was clear that it would be extremely difficult to contain him as his athletic ability was outstanding.  Instead of limiting the young Colter to only time at quarterback behind Dan Persa, the Northwestern coaching staff decided to utilize Colter’s skill set and allow him to line up as slot back in his true freshman season.

In the 2011 season, it was clear that pigeonholing Colter’s skill set would be a very difficult task, as the true sophomore was a mere 34 receiving yards shy of 500 yards passing, rushing and receiving on the year.  Colter’s career continued in a similar fashion as he has seen time as a wide receiver, running back and quarterback.  The success of junior Trevor Seimian allowed the wildcats to use Colter in various positions this season.

Now that Colter’s college career has come to an end, it seems unclear about where the young man fits in at the next level.  It seems clear that he is unlikely to play quarterback, but wide receiver seems a likely fit for Colter.  Colter is currently rated No. 37 at wide receiver for the upcoming draft by CBS sports.  Colter’s versatility will undoubtedly increase his draft stock.  Perhaps one of the pervasive attributes that qualifies Colter for the NFL is his speed and size. Colter lines up at 6-foot-0, 195 pounds with great speed and should be a durable player who offers a multitude of skill sets to any NFL team looking for a keen hardworking team player.