Cleveland Browns: 5 questions on Cody Kessler

The Cleveland Browns selected Cody Kessler in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft and some have questioned if the pick was a reach.

The Cleveland Browns passed on taking a quarterback in the first round by trading out of the No. 2 overall pick.

A quarterback was finally chosen in the third round when the Browns selected former USC quarterback Cody Kessler.

There has been some skepticism about the pick, so we caught up with Alicia de Artola of Reign of Troy to gain some insight on Kessler.

1. Did you think the Cody Kessler selection was a reach by the Browns?

Alicia: Everything comes down to that third round grade. There was buzz ahead of the draft that Kessler might go higher than some expected but no one guessed that the buzz could result in a Day 2 pick. With limited measurables and questionable performances in 2015, particularly with regards to decision-making in crunch time, there were a lot of reasons to expect Kessler to go later. His selection was an absolute reach.

2. Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown look like the favorites to start for the Browns in 2016, but is Kessler ready to be a starter in 2016 if needed?

Alicia: The greatest asset that Kessler possesses is steadiness. At USC, he was never going to be the one to go out and win the Trojans a game. Conversely, he was never going to put USC in terrible positions. Some college QBs throw 4 TDs one day and 4 INTs the next. That’s not Kessler. His worst ever outing including 2 INTs and he never gave his coaches a reason to bench him.

I bring that up because I think it’s a sign that he could be ready to start right away if the Browns need him to. Essentially, he’s capable of running an offense at an average level. Whether or not that results in wins will depend more on the talent around him than on him directly.

3. Why should Browns fans be excited about Kessler being drafted as opposed to Connor Cook or Cardale Jones?
Alicia: Connor Cook fell because he had major red flags on attitude and personality. With Kessler, you don’t have to worry about personality or behavioral issues. Kessler was a leader at USC. He never put a foot wrong. He set a good example by keeping his head down and working hard.

Cardale Jones is a feast or famine prospect. He’s got the big arm and the big wins, but struggles with accuracy and decision-making. With Kessler you know what you’re getting. He’s never going to be an NFL star, but he can make enough of the throws to get by on the merits of his accuracy and decision-making. The risk-reward question is not nearly as much of a factor.

4. What is one thing Kessler needs to work on that may be seen as a weakness right now?

Alicia: On the first play of USC’s loss to Washington in 2015, Kessler took a big hit on a sack. That’s the moment I point to when Kessler lost his “mojo.” And that was his biggest weakness through the remainder of the 2015 season. From that point on, the double-edged nature of Kessler’s brand of conservative decision-making became glaring. When that conservatism means protecting the ball, taking what the defense gives you and not forcing what isn’t there, it’s a great asset. On the other hand, it can morph into timidity, which was Kessler’s issue as a senior.

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Kessler can’t make his arm stronger or grow any taller, but he can rein in the timid play which saw him get happy feet in the pocket regardless of pressure, prompting check downs before they were necessary while ignoring open targets downfield.

Confident Kessler showed the ability to sidestep pressure with underrated pocket awareness and mobility against the likes of Stanford and Arizona State. Timid Kessler repeatedly threw short, meaningless completions during a desperation two-minute drill at the end against Notre Dame and checked down on what should have been a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the Holiday Bowl against Wisconsin.

5. What separates Kessler apart from the other quarterbacks taken in this year’s draft?

Alicia: Hue Jackson singled out Kessler’s accuracy, which really is exceptional. I don’t put much stock in the statistical proof of that, because Kessler really did do a lot of checking down during his Trojan career which surely inflated his numbers. Still, Kessler does have a particular knack for finding his target with nice touch and timing.

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